502 THE GARDENER. [Nov. 



It is now, however, collected by a leather comb drawn over the 

 branches, to the teeth of which the juice readily adheres, forming 

 an ever-thickening crust, and is easily scraped off with a knife. 



C. ladaniferus (The Gum Cistus). — This is an evergreen shrub of 

 about 5 feet in height, indigenous to Spain and Portugal in moun- 

 tainous districts. It has been cultivated in our gardens since 1629. 

 The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, smooth, dark-green on the upper 

 surface, and slightly hoary below. The flowers are white, with a 

 dark-brownish or crimson spot at the base of each petal, appearing 

 in wonderful profusion in June and July. This is one of the most 

 valuable of our wall shrubs, hardy, and of robust growth in any situa- 

 tion where the soil is dry and moderately rich, and, like all its con- 

 geners, remarkably patient under the pruning-knife. As it flowers, 

 however, from the shoots of the previous year, care should always be 

 taken to thin the branches, rather than indiscriminately cutting off 

 all the young wood. The so-called species, " Cyprius," or Island of 

 Cyprus Cistus, differs only from this in its flowers being destitute of 

 the beautiful blotch so attractive in those of the Gum Cistus, and is 

 probably only a variety : it is interesting, however, as a companion 

 plant in collections of wall shrubs. 



C. laurifolius (The Laurel -leaved Cistus). — A robust evergreen 

 shrub, found naturally over a wide area in Spain and the south of 

 France, where it grows to the height of about 6 feet. It was intro- 

 duced to our gardens in 1771. The leaves are large, of an ovate- 

 lanceolate form, thick and leathery in texture, smooth dark-green 

 above, and covered on the under surface with a minute down. The 

 flowers, which appear in July and August, are pure white, clothed 

 with prominent red bracts, which are very ornamental just before 

 the flowers expand. This is a very free-growing species, one of the 

 hardiest in cultivation, and very desirable for covering walls. It 

 stands, however, in many districts as a specimen shrub in the open 

 border, when planted in light, well-drained soil. 



C. purpureus (The Purple-flowered Cistus). — This is a species intro- 

 duced from the Levant so early as 1659. It is a sub-evergreen, with 

 an erect bushy habit of growth, from 3 to 4 feet in height. The 

 leaves are oblong-lanceolate, prominently veined, undulated at the 

 margins, and of a dark-green colour. The flowers, which are produced 

 in June and July in great abundance, are reddish-purple, with a bright- 

 yellow spot at the base of each petal. The petals are imbricated and 

 crumpled. The young branches are covered with a minute pubescence. 

 Though somewhat tender, even on a sheltered wall, this species deserves 

 a trial in any favourable situation, the abundance and brilliancy of 

 its flowers, and its neat distinct foliage, rendering it quite a feature 



