November  26,  1903;  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  cottage  GARDENER. 
493 
latter  section  belong  all  the  popular 
garden  forms.  The  leaves,  -which 
usually  number  two  (although  three 
to  four  may  be  produced)  are  broad, 
and  usually  spotted.  L.  tricolor, 
with  green,  yellow  and  rod  flowers, 
is  the  commonest.  Its  variety 
(juadricolor  is  a  more  ro):)ust  form. 
L.  aurea  is  yellow,  whilst  L.  tricolor 
aurea  gave  the  handsome  hybrid 
Nelsoni,  with  flowers  of  a  deeper 
yellow.  Tj.  pendula  and  its  variety 
aureliana  are  at  oncethe  handsomest 
and  most  distinct  of  all,  producing 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  ruby-red. 
black-tipped  flowers  on  a  raceme. 
Veltheimia,  a  genus  of  Cape 
bulbs,  have  long  been  in  cultivation, 
and  may  be  aptly  described  as 
autumn-flowering  Lachenalias.  The 
species  generally  cultivated  are  V. 
glauca  and  V.  viridifolia,  the  latter 
a  beautiful  plant  for  the  greenhouse, 
and  seen  frequently. 
The  Cirape  Hyacinths  or  Muscari 
comprise  forty  species,  many  of 
which  are  adapted  for  planting  as  a 
groundwork  for  deciduous  shrubs, 
or  in  the  front  of  borders  and  in 
rockeries.  M.  botryoides  and  its 
varieties  are  most  frequently  planted . 
More  robust,  but  closely  resembling 
this,  is  M.  Heldreichi.  M.  armenia- 
cum,  which  flowers  later,  is  one  of  - 
tlie  best,  producing  racemes  of  dark 
blue  flowers  with  white  teeth.” 
The  Tassel  Hj-aeinth  (Muscari  como- 
sum)  produces  fertile  and  sterile 
flowers  on  the  same  raceme,  and  its 
variety  “  monstrosum  ”  has  all  the 
flowers  barren,  and  the  inflorescence 
is  formed  into  a  dense  tuft  of  slender 
ramifications.  It  is  pretty,  and  ought  to  be  in  every  collection  of 
spring  flowering  plants.  This  species,  although  introduced  as  early  as 
1596.  is  still  less  planted  than  it  deserves  to  be. 
Galtonia  (or  Hyacinthus)  is  best  known  to  us  by  that  handsome 
autumn  flowering  species,  candicans ;  whilst  the  species  of  Drimia  are 
rarely  cultivated  in  any  but  botanical  collections.  Tlie  pigmy  of  the 
Order  Liliacese  is  Litanthus  pusillus,  with  thread-like  leaves,  these 
decaying  before  its  small,  pearly-white  flowers  are  produced.  These 
are  borne  on  scapes  about  1  inch  high.  Grown  as  clumps  in  pots,  it 
forms  an  interesting  object  in  the  greenhouse  during  August. 
Coming  now  to  Hyacinths,  these  are  so  familiar  to  all  that  a 
description  would  be  superfluous.  Of  the  thirty  species,  all  are  natives 
of  the  Orient  and  Mediterranean  region,  with  the  exception  of  three 
found  in  tropical  and  S.  Africa.  H.  orientalis  var.  albus  is  the  Homan 
Hyacinth  of  gardens,  so  valuable  for  forcing.  H.  orientalis  provin- 
eialis,  a  native  of  South  France,  and  H.  orientalis  itself,  are  the 
progenitors  of  all  the  Dutch 
or  ( larden  ”  varieties.  H. 
liomanus,  from  Italy,  is  a 
taller-growing,  scentless 
species,  the  double  white 
form  of  which  is  a  desirable 
plant  when  forced,  to  flower 
at  Christmas.  The  culture 
of  all  of  them  may  be  classed 
under  two  headings,  (1) 
those  grown  outside ;  (2) 
those  grown  in  pots.  Num¬ 
ber  1  should  be  planted  as 
early  as  possible  in  Geto- 
bcr.  Plant  from  6  to  8 
inches  apart,  and  to  a  depth 
of  not  less  than  4  inches,  in 
a  deep,  rich  loam.  Those 
intended  for  pot  culture 
should  be  potted,  if  pos¬ 
sible.  in  August,  the  pots 
being  plunged  in  ashes  till 
they  become  filled  with 
roots,  when  they  ought  to 
be  removed  to  a  cold  frame 
until  required  for  forcing. 
Their  culture  in  glasses  is 
so  common  as  to  require 
no  comment.  Some  culti¬ 
vators  who  use  them  largely 
as  i)ot  plants  for  the  deco¬ 
ration  of  drawing  rooms 
employ  a  compost  of  moss 
and  charcoal,  which,  if  properly 
treated,  is  very  eflective.  as  at  tlie 
time  of  flowering  the  mess  forms  a 
lovely  green  cushion-lilve  mass  in 
the  pots. 
And  now  to  Chionodoxa  ;  for 
])lanting  under  deciduous  trees  and 
shrubs,  or  as  edgings  to  shrubberies, 
lieds,  or  liordcrs  (liut  not  for  natu¬ 
ralising  in  grass)  tliese  sweet  har- 
liingers  of  spring,  together  with 
Pusehlvinia — whose  rotate  perianths 
are  so  much  alike— may  be  treated 
as  one.  C.  Ijueiliae  and  its  varieties 
sardensis  and  gigantea  are  the  most 
familiar  to  gardeners,  whilst  Pusch- 
kinia  scilloides  is  also  a  little  gem. 
Chiono-Seilla  Alleni  is  an  interesting 
plant,  being  a  lii-generic  hybrid 
twixt  Seilla  bifolia  and  Cliionodoxa. 
The  Scillere  tribe  begins  a  new 
section — the  polyphyllous,  charac¬ 
terised  by  having  the  segments  of 
the  perianth  free  to  the  base.  This 
scries  is  represented  much  more 
numerously  than  the  gamophyllous, 
perhaps  not  by-  generic,  lint  con¬ 
spicuously  by  specific,  types.  The 
tribe  contains  198  species,  seventy- 
two  belonging  to  the  Old  World, 
thirty-two  to  the  Cape,  and  a  few 
outlying  species  are  found  in  Hin¬ 
dustan,  China,  and  Japan. 
lirginea,  the  first  genus  of  this 
trilie.  is  universally  known  through 
its  species  maritima  (syn.  I'.  Bcilla), 
the  "Hquill”  of  commerce,  largely 
used  in  medicine.  Do  not  mistake 
it  for  the  Squill  of  spring  beds.  The 
bulbs  are  frequently  as  large  as  a 
child’s  head,  and  found  100  miles 
inland.  The  name,  U.  maritima, 
is  rather  a  fallacious  appellation.  Then  we  have  Eucomis,  a  genus 
of  nearly  hardy,  and  very  handsome,  plants,  thriving  in  a  deep  loam, 
and  giving  a  succession  of  blooms  from  March  to  November.  The 
following  are  selected :  E.  undulata,  nana,  amaryllidifolia.  and  punc¬ 
tata,  the  latter  with  its  varieties.  Whiteheadia,  which  is  nearly  allied, 
is  rarely  cultivated. 
Of  Scilla  (English— Squill)  wc  have  many  familiar  forms:  bifolia, 
siberiea,  and  amtena.  These  are  the  earliest,  and  are  succeeded  by  the 
ever-present  English  Blue  bell  (Scillanutans),  or  festalis.  of  which  both 
the  white  and  rose-coloured  varieties  are  desirable.  Among  the  early 
summer  flowering  ones  hispanica  and  its  many  varieties  are  the  most 
serviceable.  All  the  half-hardy  forms  may  be  started  in  pots,  and 
planted  out  when  the  temperature  is  suitable,  thus  securing  a  greater 
variety.  The  same  applies  to  Ornitliogalum,  of  which  genus  we  have 
three  distinct  types.  The  first  is  presented  by  O.  arabieum,  in  which 
the  colour  is  uniform,  and  the  veining  fan-like  and  inconspicuous  ;  the 
second  by  O.  umbellatum, 
which  has  a  broad,  laxly, 
many-nerved  dash  of  green 
down  the  back  of  the  petals, 
leaving  only  a  faint  white 
margin.  The  third  type  is 
represented  by  O.  narbon- 
ense,  in  which  there  is  only 
a  distinct,  narrow  green 
band  down  the  keel  on  the 
back.  O.  umbellatum  and 
narbonense  are  the  best  of 
the  hardy  white  flowering 
species.  O.  pyrenaicum  is 
a  hardy  yellow  form,  called 
Bath  Asparagus,”  the 
immature  flower  stems 
having  been  sold  as  French 
Asparagus  by  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  of  Bath !  ( ).  thyr- 
soidcs  (yellow)  and  arabi¬ 
eum.  a  fragrant  white,  with 
a  black  centre,  may  be  men¬ 
tioned  among  the  half 
hardy  forms.  Drimiopsis, 
Camassia  and  Albuca,  each 
a  distinct  genus,  concludes 
this  tribe.  .Mbuea  is  distin¬ 
guished  by  having  its  seg¬ 
ments  in  two  series,  three 
unfoklcd  and  three  closed 
over  the  essential  organs. 
(To  be  continued.) 
Six  “Japs”  from  the  Isle  of  Wight  .  (See  page  4!»1.) 
A  Dozen  Japanese-incurved.  (See  page  491.) 
