38 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
tivation it is grown as an ornamental tree, being frequently 
used in the southern states as a street tree, but it is not a grace- 
ful species, as the limbs, twigs, and leaves are stiff and erect. 
It is hardy in Washington, D. C., and its northern limit ex- 
tends to Philadelphia. It is cultivated to a great extent in 
Europe and is often trained upon a wall with a southern ex- 
posure when there is difficulty in getting it established. An 
example of this method of culture may be seen at the Kew 
Gardens, London, where a superb specimen is grown upon the 
southern wall of the old herbarium building. In the forests 
of Louisiana, the tree grows to perfection, reaching a height 
of 80 feet with a trunk 4 feet in diameter. 
Description —Branches ascending, leaves alternate, oval, 5-8 
inches long, leathery, shining above, rusty pubescent beneath 
or smooth and dull green, persistent until the second spring. 
Flowers from April to August, white, cup-shaped, 6-8 inches 
in diameter, in the horticultural variety gloriosa 14 inches, 
solitary on the end of the twigs; odor so fragrant as to be 
disagreeable te most people; sepals 3, petal-like ; petals thick, 
waxy, 6-9; stamens many, purple at the base; pistils many, 
crowded, Fruit oval, 3-4 inches long, rusty brown, pubescent ; 
seeds flat, red, 2 in each cell, hung down on threads, ripening 
in the fall. 
This is the species which furnishes the splendid evergreen 
foliage used for Christmas decorations. The upper surface of 
each leaf is a dark lustrous green ; the lining of rusty red fuzz 
is shed when the leaf is old. 
MAGNOLIAS FOR ORNAMENTAL PLANTING 
Among the best ornamental trees and shrubs for this locality 
are the magnolias. They have about the largest flowers of 
any trees in cultivation, and in many species they bloom 
before the appearance of the leaves in early spring. The 
foliage is massive and tropical in appearance, while the fruit 
of most species is attractive in summer and autumn. The 
majority of the magnolias are easy to grow and do well in 
the smoky atmosphere of cities. Their comparative infre- 
quency in St. Louis is probably due to the following facts: 
They are rather slow in growth and take a longer time to 
attain their beauty and copiousness of flowers than most of 
our common ornamental trees and shrubs; they are not as 
