April 14, 1900 



horticulture: 



485 



Clematis Davidiana 



The clematis shown in the accompanying illustration 

 has been grown as ('. Davidiana in various places, 

 among those having it under this name being Prof. 

 Waugh of Amherst Agricultural College. Prof. Waugh 

 writes concerning it, as follows: 



"In Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Horticulture this 

 clematis is given under the name of C. heracleaefolia var. 

 davidiana. I am not acquainted with the species type, 

 nor very familiar with the other variety referred to it, 

 viz., var. stans, but Clematis Davidiana as I have grown 

 it is a beautiful 

 species. In fact I 

 do not hesitate to 

 say, without any 

 reservation, that 

 it is the best 

 thing I have ever 

 seen in this im- 

 portant group. 

 The description 

 adopted by Prof. 

 Davis in the Cy- 

 clopedia is not 

 satisfactory when 

 compared with our 

 specimen. Ours 

 is considerably 

 woody, a reason- 

 able amount of 

 the wood living 

 through the win- 

 ter. The plant is 

 not erect, any 

 more than Cle- 

 matis Jackmanni. 

 It grows more like 

 C. virona or C. 

 crispa, and resem- 

 bles the latter 

 perhaps more 

 than any other 

 species known to 



me. It can he trained up against a building or on a 

 veranda with excellent elTect. The flowers are very 

 fragrant, in marked contrast to ('. paniculata. for 

 example, which has a rank and disagreeable smell. The 

 flowers are borne profusely, are nearly an inch across, 

 and are almost white, with just a faint suggestion of 

 pale delft blue. 



I have heard it said that the reason why this splendid 

 clematis is not more commonly grown is that it is hard 

 to propagate; but this lias not proved true with us either. 

 It propagates fairly easily from greenwood cuttings in 

 an ordinary cutting bench. It seems perfectly hardy 

 here, and I grew it for several years in Vermont where 

 it did not winter-kill. I have wondered if my speci- 

 mens were true to type, and have thought that perhaps 1 

 had something better than I was entitled to have under 

 the name of Clematis Davidiana; but certainly this 

 clematis is well worth anybody's time.'' 



Jackson Dawson of the Arnold Arboretum has (his 

 to say regarding Clematis Davidiana: "Clematis 

 Davidiana was first received at the Arboretum about, 

 eighteen years ago. Our first plants were from Gen. 

 Woolson and wen' imported by him from abroad. As I 

 understand it the plant is supposed to he a native of 



China and was first introduced to European gardens 

 about L865. Our plant grows from two to three feet 

 high and has light porcelain blue flowers in clusters, 

 blooming nearly all the latter part of summer. It is 

 not woody above ground with us but is what I call 

 suffrutieose having one or two inches of woody growth 

 below the surface of the ground and it is by cutting up 

 these underground stems that we have propagated it as 

 I find the color changes considerably in the seedlings, 

 being somewhat lighter bine than in the original plant. 

 It is a fine addition to the herbaceous border. 



"Clematis tubulosa, also a China species, has much 

 darker flowers and less robust growth but is well worthy 

 of cultivation. Included in this group is Clematis 

 stans and C. Lavallei. The latter is of much more 

 robust growth often growing five feet or more in 

 height and covered with large clusters of drooping bell- 

 shaped flowers of nearly pure white color with a 

 delicious odor of hyacinths. It is the latest to flower 

 of all the clematis family and, I think, is but little 

 known to cultivation in this country though it has been 

 in the Arboretum for twenty years. This scarcely 

 ripens seed here but is perfectly hardy. 0. Davidiana, 

 on the contrary, ripens seed freely." 



Lathyrus pubescens 



Lathyrus pubescens., Hook, and Am. in Hot. of 

 Beechy's voyage, p. 21. 



The genus Lathyrus belongs to the natural Order 

 Legurninosae or Pulse family and according to Bentham 

 and Hooker has about 100 species. They are distributed 

 in many parts of the world, not only in temperate 

 climates but also in high altitudes in the tropics. Most 

 are of ornamental value and are worthy of cultivation. 

 Their flowers are showy and in various colors. They 

 are satisfied with any g 1 garden soil, and their prop- 

 agation can he made by dividing or seed. 



Lathyrus pubescens, the downy Smith American 

 lathyrus or everlasting pea is of line quality, hut it is 

 doubtful if ii will in the open ground stand our winters 

 even if protected. It is not by any means a new peren- 

 nial as was stated in Hortici/lti'hi: No. 12, Vol. 111. 

 p. 367. 



From Botanical Magazine I. 3996, Vol. XVI, Lon- 

 don. 1843, I will cite the following quotation: "A 

 hardy greenhouse plant, perhaps even aide to bear culti- 

 \atiou in the open border. It is grown we believe, in 

 several collections, and was introduced by Mr. Tweedie 

 from Buenos Ayres; but whether it is found wild near 

 that place or only in the interior of the Argentine 

 province, does not appear. Mr. Baird gathered it on 

 islands in the Parana. If, as I suspect, it be the same 

 with the I. acutifolins of Vogel, it is also found in 

 South Brazil. Dr. Gillies detected the plant about 

 Mendoza, and it extends we know as far westward as 

 Conception and Valparaiso on the shores of the Pacific. 

 In general habit it is nearly allied to L. nervosus (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 3981 I. the flowers being very similar, though 

 the leaves are widely different. Trained in a pot, and 

 placed in a cool greenhouse, it hears its large purplish 

 blue flowers in May." 



