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XXVII. On the Culture of the Guernsey Lily, and other 

 Bulbs of the Genera Nerine, Coburgia, and Brunsvigia, 

 heretofore united under Amaryllis. In a Letter to the Se- 

 cretary. By the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert, 

 F. H. S. #c. 



Read, April 4th, 1820. 



Dear Sir, 



J find no difficulty in the culture of the Guernsey Lily, con- 

 cerning which the Society has desired some information. It 

 is decidedly a native of the Cape, from whence I have re- 

 ceived the bulbs dug up in a wild state ; and indeed the 

 whole genus Nerine, to which it belongs, appears to be con- 

 fined to South Africa. I entirely disbelieve its having been 

 found in Japan or China, except in gardens, or naturalized 

 by accident in a congenial climate. It is very likely to have 

 been confounded by Thunberg with the Asiatic Amaryllis 

 radiata, which I suppose to belong to the genus Lycoris, and 

 which may very probably grow at Nagasaki in Japan, 

 where Thunberg states that he found the Guernsey Lily 

 growing wild.* The only attention which the Guernsey 

 Lily requires here, is to give it sufficient air while the leaves 

 are growing, that they may be strong and dark coloured ; 

 to protect the leaves from frost, keeping the pots near the 

 light, if under glass ; to give a moderate and regular supply 

 of water, and to leave the bulbs nearly dry, from the time 



* See Flora Japonica, page 131. 



