4i8 



PANCRATIUM OR HYMENOCALLIS 



bordered with white, and the throat is pointed with car- 

 mine on a yellow ground ; an extra fine variety 



Group of Achimenes. 



Plectopomas form a section of hybrid gesneras, con- 

 sidered by some botanists as a distinct genus. There 



are not more than a dozen varieties named under this 

 head, and their colors are salmon, rose, white, blue and 

 crimson, flaked, blotched and dotted, similar to those 

 already described. 



Tyd.ea is one of the natural order of gesneraceae. It 

 is a native of the mountains of Grenada. The group 

 includes both autumn and winter blooming varieties, 

 producing a long and brilliant succession of flowers, in 

 color like those of the other classes. 



Belzebath, which is now blooming in my window, has 

 a crimson tube with the lip curiously spotted with dark 

 maroon. In those of Gigantea, flowers are vermilion 

 and gold. In Madame Halphen thelower lobes are lightly 

 tinted with blue, and spotted with carmine, while the 

 upper lobes are shaded with carmine-rose. Elliptica 

 multiflora is dark purple with white spots. Wonder 

 bears magnificent flowers of a dazzling vermilion veined 

 with black. All these are plants of great beauty, and I 

 hope some of the Garden readers will be induced by 

 my descriptions to seek a more intimate acquaintance 

 with their merits. The whole family of gesneraceae 

 will be found unusually attractive, and out of the com- 

 mon run of plants. Mrs. M. D. Wellcome. 



Maine. 



PANCRATIUM OR HYMENOCALLIS. 



NOTES FROM TWO ADMIRERS. 



THE pancratium lily is one of the most use- 

 ful of all the lily family for an amateur to 

 grow. It is of the easiest culture ; is not 

 at all particular about having the choicest 

 place in the room or greenhouse, and appears to 

 grow equally well in almost any kind of soil. I have 

 seen large clumps of it four or five feet in diameter, 

 and as much in height, in the gardens in Florida, 

 where the soil was apparently nothing but sand. 

 Plants for greenhouse decoration appear to give 

 most satisfaction when grown in sandy loam, with 

 about one-third peat, and always plenty of drainage. 

 When growing, they require abundance of water, 

 and a tropical heat, if it can be given them, 

 although an ordinary greenhouse temperature will 

 answer nearly as well, and the flowers will last longer 

 than if grown in a higher temperature. The fragrance 

 is delicious, something like that of the lily of the 



\alley. The individual flowers do not last long 

 but from a large plant a succession of flower-stems 

 is produced, which prolong its season of flowering 

 for some weeks. In appearance, the plant is very 

 much like some of the crinums. They can be par- 

 tially dried or rested, the same as many others of 

 the lily family. They all respond very readily to 

 good treatment, and will amply repay the same 

 attention usually accorded to the Eiccharis Ama- 

 zonica. The species well worth growing are P. 

 vcreciindiiin, P. maritiinum and P. lUyricum for a cool 

 greenhouse. Samuel Henshaw. 



Pancratium are among the old plants undergo- 

 ing a revival of popularity. Once so common as 

 to give way to newer things, they are compara- 

 tively unknown to the present generation of plant 



