THE LADIES' FLOEAL CABINET. 
201 
Hoxton, in the year 1728. A folio pamphlet containing 
a history of the plant was written by James Douglas, 
who named it Lilium Eeginai. Its first appearance in 
the Botanical Magazine occurred in the year 1790. The 
flower has a short funnel and a capacious limb, the 
color is crimson and the star is fully displayed. 
A. Vittala was first figured in the Botanical Magazine 
in 178S (t. 128). The flower is always smallish, with a 
decided funnel, and the petals are elegantly striped, and 
the progeny, even at two or three removes, partakes of 
this character. 
A. reticulata was introduced in 1777 by Dr. E. W. 
Gray, and was figured in the Botanical Magazine in the 
year 1808 (t. 657). It is of the most elegant form, ap¬ 
proximating to that of a 
convolvulus. The tube of 
moderate length, the limb 
delicately reticulated in 
shades of rich lively rose. 
-4. equestris dates from 
1710. It is a fine flower 
of medium size, w i t h 
short funnel, the limb 
crimson or scarlet, dis¬ 
playing a bold green star. 
A variety of this, named 
major, grown by Mr. 
Griffin, and figured in 
the Botanical Register of 
1817 (t. 234), very strik¬ 
ingly resembles some 
modern hybrids of A. par- 
dinia, and in place of a 
green star it has a bold 
white centre, the outer 
portions of the limb be¬ 
ing of a fiery vermilion 
color. 
The more celebrated 
A. aulica was first figured 
in the Botanical Register 
in 1820 (t. 444). It was 
imported from Brazil by 
Mr. Griffin, and flowered 
with him at South Lam¬ 
beth for the first time in 
December, 1819. In this 
the elements of a crown 
are perceptible, and the 
leafage is peculiar. The 
form of the flower is fay 
away from what would be termed the florist type, the 
petals being narrow and separated. But in a variety named 
Platypeta'a, obtained from the Organ Mountains by 
Mr. Harrison, of Aigburgh, near Liverpool, about the 
year 1825, the most splendid floral characters are de¬ 
veloped. The color of this variety is rich deep crimson 
with a bold green star that is sometimes prolonged to 
the extremities of the divisions, which are short, smooth, 
and so broad as to overlap and form a noble flower. 
All the foregoing, and many more that I cannot stay 
to mention, have been registered as Amaryllis. But in 
the year 1822, the characters of Hippeastrum were set 
forth by Dean Herbert, and the new designation was 
adopted in the Botanical Magazine in the year 1S25, 
when there Appeared a figure of Hippeastrum Solandri- 
jlorum {t. 2,573.) Some others appeared under the new 
generic name, as for example IT. ambiguum and II. brevi- 
florum in 1837. 
Now, in the history of the flower, it is proper to record 
another episode. In the Botanical Magazine it was an 
Amaryllis for a period of about thirty-five years. Then 
it became a Hippeastrum for a period of forty-five 
years. But in describing a splendid species, discovered 
in Peru by Messrs. Veitcli & Son’s collector, Mr. Pearce, 
in June, 1867, Sir J. D. Hooker named it Amaryllis par- 
dina. Having done so, he felt bound to justify the 
proceeding, and he did so by saying that the differences 
recognized by Herbert were so slight and variable as to 
be of no practical value. Therefore the original generic 
designation was restored; 
Linnaeus triumphed, and 
Amaryllis is herself again. 
The introduction of A. 
pardirCa opens a new 
chapter in the history of 
this flower. Its name im¬ 
plies that it is spotted like 
the leopard, but that 
quality is not much valued 
by the florists. It is of 
more importance to say 
that this flower is dis¬ 
tinguished by great 
breadth of petal and the 
absence of a funnel, a fact 
favorable to the expan¬ 
sion of the flowers to a 
symmetrical face. More 
than any of its race intro¬ 
duced up to the year 1867, 
A. pardina stirred the blood 
of the florists and gave 
new zest to the labors of 
the hybridists, who, how¬ 
ever, soon discovered that, 
with all its fine qualities, 
it is not the model for 
breeding from that they 
would themselves have 
created had they been per¬ 
mitted to assist in the work 
of the third day as re¬ 
corded in the Book of 
Genesis. But the model 
was ready for all that; 
like many other desirable 
things, it was made with the rest on the third day 
and remained to be discovered. This was secured in 
Peru by Mr. Pearce. It appears that the King of 
the Belgians, one of the most generous and enlight¬ 
ened patrons of horticulture in this flowery world, 
admired the flower when it was shown at South 
Kensington in the year 1869, and it was named 
in honor of his visit Amaryllis Leopoldi. It is as 
truly the King of the Amaryllis, as Lilium auratum 
is the Queen of the Lilies. It possesses all the elements 
of a perfect florist’s flower in breadth of petal, depth of 
color, a sharply-defined star, and petals superbly tipped 
with white or an approximation thereto. It is sufficiently 
defective as a florists’ flower to afford work for the hy¬ 
bridist, and excitement to the critics, and to give pecu' 
Hybrid Amaryllis—Vitala Type. 
. 
