64 



OXALIS AND PJEONY. 



Sea Squill, is curious ; from the centre of the root arise 

 several shining glaucous leaves, a foot long, two inches 

 broad at the base, and narrowing to a point. If kept 

 in a greenhouse, these are green during winter, and 

 decay in the spring ; then the flower-stalk comes up, 

 rising two feet, naked half way, and terminated by a 

 pyramidal thyrse of white flowers. These bulbs are 

 generally cultivated in the greenhouse, and require a 

 compost consisting of about one-half fresh loam, two- 

 sixths leaf mould, and the remainder sand, in which 

 they may be planted in September. When cultivated 

 in the garden, they should be planted four or five 

 inches deep, and protected with dung, &c. They pro- 

 duce their flowers early in June. 



Oxalises. — These are natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; the species are numerous, and their roots are 

 very small bulbs, articulated, jointed, or granulated, 

 in a manner peculiar to this genus. They produce 

 curious flowers of various hues, yellow, purple, rose, 

 red, white, striped, vermilion colour, &c. The bulbs 

 should be planted in very small pots in August and 

 September, in a compost, consisting of about two-thirds 

 loam, and one-third leaf or light mould, and treated in 

 the same manner as other Cape Bulbs. They increase 

 in a peculiar manner, by the parent bulb striking a 

 fibre down from its base, at the extremity of which is 

 produced a new bulb for the next years 5 plant, the old 

 one perishing. These plants will flower freely in a 

 greenhouse. 



P^eony,— -Of this genus of splendid plants there 



