Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tuberose

TUBEROSE. The cultivated tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa) is allied to the Mexican agaves and is a native of the same country. The tuberous root-stock sends up a stem 3 feet in height, with numerous lanceolate leaves and terminal racemes of white funnel-shaped, very fragrant flowers. Each flower is about 11/2 inches long, with a long tube and a six-parted limb. The stamens are six in number, emerging from the upper part of the tube, and bear linear anthers. The ovary is three-celled; but the mature fruit and seed are not botanically known. The plant is largely grown in the United States and at the Cape of Good Hope for export to England, as it is found that imported bulbs succeed better than those grown in the United Kingdom. The cultivated plants have double flowers and require a rich soil, considerable heat, and, at first, abundance of water.