]S73. ] 



GARDEN LITERATUEE. 



would not have produced a still more useful work, since tlie autliors are well- 

 known garden botanists of tlie highest attainments. Nevertheless, we can con- 

 scientiously commend the work as it is, and believe it will in its present state 

 supply a want which has long been felt to exist. 



Thanks to the courtesy of the publishers, we are enabled to introduce some 

 of the many illustrations which crowd Mr. Hemsley's pages, and we cannot, per- 

 haps, do better than extract the passages and pictures which set forth the differ- 

 ences between the Syringa of botanists and the Syringa of gardeners, to show 

 the general character of the work : — 



"PHILADELPHUS. 

 "Deciduous shrubs, differing from the last 

 genus \_Z)eufzia^ in having larger, often sweet- 

 scented flowers, four to five imbricate petals, 

 numerous stamens, and slender filaments. The 

 species, of which there are about twelve, are 

 natives of Central Europe, Himalayas, Japan, and 

 North America. The Greek name of a shrub. 

 These beautiful hardy-flowering shi-ubs are popu- 

 larly known under the name of Syringa (Seringat, 

 French), or Jlock Orange. 



" 1. Ph. coronarins. — This is the common 

 European species, of which there are several 

 varieties in cultivation, including a double- 

 flowered one, and one with variegated foliage. It 

 grows from four to eight feet high, with ovate- 

 acuminate sernilate glabrescent leaves, and 

 racemes of creamy-white fragrant flowers, 

 appearing in May. 



" 2. Ph. GordoniamLS. — A very handsome and 

 desirable American species, with flowers nearly 

 double the size of those of the common one. This 



does not bloom till the latter end of June or 



beginning of July. 



" 3. Ph. grandlflorus ; syn. P. speciosns, P. 

 IdlifoHiis, &c. — A slarub 6 to 10 feet high. Leaves 



pubescent when young, ovate-acuminate or 



nearly rotundate, iiTegularly toothed. Flowers 



white, large, sweet-scented, appearing in June or 

 July. 



" 4. Ph. inodorus. — In this species the leaves 



are quite glabrous, very obscurely toothed, 



acuminate, and ovate or lanceolate in outline. 



Flowers white, large, scentless, terminating 



the short lateral branches. This blossoms about 



the same time as the last. North America. Ph. 



American species. These have smaller flowers, and the latter is a very dwarf, hairy shrub. 



Ph. Satsumi\ syn. P. chinensis, \9, a slender-growing species, with long narrow leaves, and 



large white flowers ; from Japan." 



" SYRINGA. 

 " Deciduous shrubs, bearing simple entire leaves, and large terminal clusters of usually 



sweet-smolling flowers. Corolla salver-shaped. Fruit, a flattened two-celled capsule, when 



ripe splitting into two boat-shaped pieces, each containing one or two-winged seeds. Only about 



half-a-dozen species are known to exist in a wild state, and these are found in South-Eastern 



Europe, Persia, Northern India, and China. The name is said to be an altered form of the 



Persian Syrinx, which is applied to the common one. 



" 1. S. indgarts. Common Lilac. — This, with the Laburnum, forms the chief attraction of 



our shrubberies in spring, and wo should as soon expect to see a garden without a Lilac as 



without a Laurel. Its origin is somewhat uncertain, though it is believed to have been brought 



from Persia ; at all events, it has been in cultivation about three centm-ies, and has given 



birth to many superior varieties, either by natural variation or intercrossing with other species. 



Philadeli'hus Gordoniajjus (i natiu-al eize.j 

 Leicisii and Ph. hirsutiis are also North- 



