AMARYLLIDACE.E. 
277 
I have to state that the pale-coloured variety, imported 
from the Cape, has seeds precisely similar to those of the 
old variety ; that I have received both, and other shades of 
variation from the Cape ; that the notion of a pale vernal 
Belladonna, originating with Miller, is quite erroneous, and 
that, whenever a vernal scape has been produced, it has been 
the delayed autumnal scape, which is usually thrown up 
abortive in the spring, preserved by some accident of the 
season through the winter ; that the pale-flowered variety of 
Belladonna, which has been often confounded with blanda, 
B. M. 1450, is quite distinct from it ; that the bulb imported 
by the Hort. Soc. from Madeira, and supposed at first by 
Mr. Sabine to be vernal, flowers with me in the autumn, and 
has no peculiarity. The bulbs of Sir J. Banks and Van 
Royen were the pale belladonna, and not blanda. The 
leaves of blanda are much more erect, strongly ribbed and 
nerved, and vaginate more; its constitution is much ten- 
derer. Mr. Sweet was wrong in altering the Linnaean name 
of this genus, and shewed complete ignorance of its affinities 
in placing it at a distance from Brunsvigia, between Habran- 
thus and Hippeastrum. 
2. Blanda. — Bot. Mag. 35. 1450. This beautiful plant 
was found by Niven, who collected for Mr. Hib- 
bert, and I believe has never since been met with 
by any collector. I purchased one of the bulbs 
when Mr. Hibbert disposed of his collection, and 
Mr. Griffin had another. Mr. Knight, of the Kind's 
Road, Chelsea, who had the rest, killed them by 
planting them in the open ground, which they will 
not endure in this country, and 1 believe there are 
no bulbs of it in Europe but the produce of those 
two. I lost two by planting them in front of the 
stove ; one died the first winter, the other only 
lingered till the second. The leaves of this and 
the following species, when cut by frost or drought 
at the points, will not continue to grow like those 
of Belladonna. It requires an airy situation in the 
greenhouse in winter, drought and dry heat in 
summer, and will then flower magnificently in Sep- 
tember. Whatever may have been the growth of 
its leaves, it will not flower if it is left in a cold 
situation while dry. 
