Blandfordia

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Origin:	✈	Australia

Cultivation

Features:	✓	flowers

Scientific Names

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Blandfordia is a genus of flowering plants which are native to eastern Australia. Plants in this genus are commonly referred to as Christmas Bells due to the shape of their flowers and the timing of their flowering season in Australia. Blandfordia is the sole genus in the family Blandfordiaceae and was named by English botanist James Edward Smith in 1804 in honour of George Spencer Churchill, the Marquis of Blandford.

Read about Blandfordia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Blandfordia (after George, Marquis of Blandford). Liliaceae. Tender rhizomatous plants from Australia and Tasmania, placed by Baker (Jour. Linn. Soc. 11:364) between Kniphofia and Funkia; adapted to culture in greenhouses. Blandfordia of Andrews is a synonym of Galax. Roots thickly fibrous: Lvs. in two vertical ranks, narrowly linear, hard, persistent: fls. large, 1½-3 in. long, showy, nodding, in short racemes, usually orange- red to crimson, with yellow tips.—The authorities recognize only 4 botanical species, but those below are horticulturally distinct from one another. Being tenderer than the poker plant, and of more difficult culture, blandfordias are rarely grown in America. B. flammea var. princeps is the best kind. In New South Wales they grow in peat bogs and on shady mountain sides. During the growing season they must be shaded from bright sunshine, and during the resting season they may be placed in a light pit, in which they are not crowded or shaded by taller plants. They like a moist atmosphere and plenty of air, but not draughts. The chief element of the potting soil should be peat; if the peat is heavy, use freely; if light, use some loam, and pack firmly; if spongy, add some charcoal. Pot after flowering, in early spring, being careful not to overpot, and plan to leave roots undisturbed for two years at least. A top-dressing each year and liquid manure during growing season, is necessary to produce a good flowering. Perfectly hardy in central Florida when grown in lath-houses.—Propagation is by seeds sown in sandy peat with mild bottom heat, or usually by careful and not too frequent divisions of the root, made in early spring, after flowering, at the time of repotting, and preferably when strong offsets are formed. B. cordata, Andr.-Galax aphylla. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

There are four species as follows:

• Blandfordia cunninghamii Lindl.
• Blandfordia grandiflora R.Br.
• Blandfordia nobilis Sm.
• Blandfordia punicea (Labill.) Sweet (Tasmanian Christmas Bell)

Gallery

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External links

• w:Blandfordia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Blandfordia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)