JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 5, 1882. ] 
323 
described was largely increased by every traveller in the northern 
parts of South America. As to the extent of the genus, some idea 
may be gathered from the fact that in Kunth’s “ Enumeratio 
Plantarum,” published in 1850, no less than sixty-one species, 
besides many varieties, are described, and since then several new 
forms have been discovered and introduced to cultivation. It 
should, however, be remarked that few of the total given above 
are at the present time grown in England, and it is only in quite 
recent years that some of the most handsome have been obtained, 
such as B. conferta, and these are still confined to comparatively 
few establishments. At Kew a good representative collection has 
been grown for some time, and the beauty of the plants has often 
attracted the attention of horticulturists, to whom they were 
comparatively unknown, as few nurserymen seem to have duly 
appreciated the beauty of the genus, and thus they have not been 
brought so prominently before the attention of the public as 
many other less useful plants. That they are useful no one can 
question who has any experience of their attractiveness as green¬ 
house climbers, and of the ease with which they may be had in 
satisfactory condition. 
Either in pots or planted out they are equally beautiful, but the 
latter method is preferable where it can be practised, as the fresh 
green foliage is pleasing even when the plants are not in flower, 
and when they are bearing abundant handsome trusses of showy 
flowers they are scarcely rivalled by any cool-house climbers. 
There is little difficulty in providing a soil to suit them. A compost 
of loam and peat, or good fibrous loam alone, with a small pro¬ 
portion of sand, will meet their requirements, provided the pots 
or position in which they are to be planted are thoroughly drained. 
Liberal supplies of water and occasional assistance with liquid 
Fig. 54.—BOJIAREA OLIGAXTHA. 
manure will produce a vigorous growth, which, if the shoots be 
trained in a sunny portion of the roof, will mature and flower as 
freely as can be desired. It is surprising how rapidly some of the 
stronger-growing sorts, such as B. Carderi and B. conferta advance ; 
and this sometimes is an evil rather than not, for when they 
become excessively vigorous flowers are seldom produced. An 
instance of this kind may be now noticed at Kew, where the 
latter of the two species just mentioned is thriving as prosperously 
as could be desired, but at present it gives no sign of blooms, 
though elsewhere the same species flowers without any trouble. 
Proper measures have, however, been adopted to restrain its 
luxuriance, and no doubt this attention will soon yield better 
success. 
As one of the oldest introductions, though not for its beauty, 
the first deserving notice is the Bomarea edulis of Herbert, which 
is the Alstromeria Salsilla, figured in an early number of the 
“Botanical Magazine.” This has small flowers borne in threes 
or fours, the outer segments rose and white, the inner green 
spotted with reddish brown. It has not the remotest pretensions 
to beauty, but is interesting for the fact that its tuberous roots 
are edible, and are said to have been at one time used in St. 
Domingo like Potatoes are here under the name of “ Tapinambours 
blancs.” The plant was also designated B. Salsilla by the Spanish 
colonists from its resemblance to Sarsaparilla, while some record 
that it bears the name of “ Coyolxochite,” which will no doubt 
recommend itself to the attention of those who are so partial to 
native names. The plant designated B. Salsilla by Herbert—who, 
it should be observed, is our principal authority on these plants— 
is totally different from the above, being more slender and graceful, 
with small rosy-purple flowers produced in umbels of six or moie 
each. B. Salsilla var. obtusa, Herb., is the Alstromeria oculata 
of the “ Botanical Magazine,” a really pretty form, with rosy 
flowers blotched with black in the centre of the tubes. 
Turning to more recently introduced species, we have two 
charming forms in B. Caldasiana and B. oligantha (fig. 51), which 
in some degree resemble each other, both possessing much beau y 
to recommend them to the attention of cultivators. I he first- 
named has the exterior segments of the perianth red, tae inner 
orange-yellow spotted with a darker shade, the flowers being 
numerous in moderately compact trusses, the peduncles being 
