Juue 19, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



86S 



Notes from the Arnold Arboretum 



The native Highbush Cranberry is an often planted 

 and familiar shrub, while its Asiatic representative. Vi- 

 burnum Sargentu, seems still little known, though it is 

 in several respects superior to the native species. It is 

 of more upright and denser habit with handsome dark 

 green foliage and with the sterile flowers somewhat 

 larger and of a purer white, the color being the more 

 striking, as the central fertile flowers have a darker hue 

 on account of the purple color of the anthers. The 

 purple color of the anthers is also one of the best char- 

 acters to distinguish it from the native Highbush Cran- 

 berry. In its typical form Viburnum Sargentii has 

 pubescent branches and leaves, but the variety calvescens 

 has glabrous branches and leaves, like the native species. 

 In one respect, however, in regard to the fruits, the com- 

 mon Highbush Cranberry is much superior to Viburnum 

 Sargentii which has smaller fruits, not produced in 

 great abundance and therefore the native species ought 

 to be preferred for general planting, as the clusters of 

 scarlet fruits are the chief ornamental features of this 

 shrub and particularly attractive during the winter. 



Some remarks on the proper botanical name for our 

 native species seem not to be out of place here, though 

 they are more of strictly botanical interest. Almost 150 

 years ago the famous English gardener Philipp Miller 

 noticed that the American Highbush Cranberry then 

 introduced into English gardens, was different from the 

 European species and called it Viburnum americanum, 

 but most botanists, united it again with V. Opulus. 

 Nowadays, however, the tendency among botanists is to 

 make nicer distinctions and to separate again the forms 

 lumped together by the older botanists into large vari- 

 able species. This modern tendency is also apparent in 

 the latest edition of Gray's Manual where our plant is at 

 least distinguished as a variety and is called V. Opulus 

 var. americanum. At the Arnold Arboretum, however, 

 we prefer to call it V. americanum and leave the name 

 V. Opulus to the European species where it properly be- 

 longs. The horticultural difEerence between the two 

 species is very slight ; the European species is of a some- 

 what denser habit, but seems more likely to be infested 

 and disfigured by aphides. The chief distinctive char- 

 acter is in the petioles which have a rather narrow chan- 

 nel and large glands at the base of the blade and in the 

 longer p(?dunoles and longer stamens. 



Quite a number of new Chinese Viburnums have been 

 introduced into cultivation during the last years, some 

 evergreen and some deciduotts. The evergreen ones as 

 Viburnum rliytidophi/Uum, V. propinquum , V. utile, V. 

 Veitchii and V. huddleifolium seem unfortunately too 

 tender for our climate, but some of them are worth try- 

 ing in the southern states or in California, particularly 

 V. rhyticlophyllum which is of striking beauty with its 

 large leaves from 4 to 8 inches long, dark green and 

 lustrous above and yellowish white beneath, and the 

 white flowers in large cluster followed in September by 

 scarlet berries add considerably to its ornamental value. 

 The deciduous species as Viburnum, foetidum (V. ceano- 

 fhoides), V. corijUfoliian and V. bctulifolium, all sim- 

 ilar to Viburnum dilataium and V. Wrightii, are proba- 

 bly hardy, but it is still too early to pass definitively 

 upon their hardiness and ornamental vahte. 



Seasonable Observations by a 

 Boston Gardener 



In Mr. Moore's remarks upon the last meeting of the 

 Eoyal Horticultural Society, London, he mentions the 

 comparatively new scented geranium Clorinda, which 

 in his view has not much chance of success in the public 

 favor. As a matter of fact his own description of tliis 

 variety, the very best of the scented type, precludes the 

 necessity of being obliged to force it upon the public. 

 A geranium of a cerise red tint and having fragrant 

 foliage the shape of an oak leaf, has a flower of tliree 

 inches in diameter, to which I append the fact that the 

 flower is very similar to the Lady Washington type, but 

 not striped. It is quite equal to an ordinary zonal with 

 the additional advantage in being sweetly scented. It la 

 of sufficient merit to have induced a florist from Amer- 

 ica to acquire a stock of it, and I have little doubt that 

 when it finds its way to the exhibition tables here 

 it will be looked upon as a decided acquisition. To 

 Mr. H. B. May, who exhibited the above-mentioned 

 plant, further credit is due for the cultivation of ver- 

 benas, varieties suitable for pot work, which include 

 Miss Willmott, which I believe was the first to catch on 

 and from a selling point of view is the best; King of 

 Scarlets and Princess of Wales, a deep purple blue, the 

 King not so flat in truss as Miss Willmott; Queen of 

 Whites and the auricula-eyed The Queen, rosy pink, 

 Model, heliotrope, Adonis, scarlet, Vulcan, crimson. Ad- 

 mirable, claret. The foregoing include an admirable 

 range of shades, and grown four or five plants to the 

 five-inch pot very rapidly make an excellent plant, al- 

 though it should be borne in mind that they require to 

 be pinched early and all points simultaneously to pro- 

 duce even growth. 



It is interesting to note that the 23nd Temple Show, 

 London, has gone on record as being the greatest ever, 

 and I have no doubt but what your correspondent, Mr. 

 Moore, will suitably comment upon it. What I wished 

 to say is, why could not Boston have a similar summer 

 show ? A public spirited lady or gentleman, necessarily 

 living near Boston, could possibly be induced to lend 

 their grounds for this purpose. If this could be at- 

 tained I would venture to state that if not in magnitude 

 or number of exhibits as the London Show, the setting 

 up would be far superior, inasmuch as the question of 

 space is the greatest difficulty those on the other side 

 have to contend against, exhibitors being approximately 

 limited to about 25 per cent, of the space they apply for. 

 I give the sugg:estion for what it is worth; the time 

 must come, if indeed it is not already here, when the 

 confines of the Horticultural Hall will not adequately 

 stage intended exhibits. 



y/. ^y'^^JAAAnrr^C 



As is well known, the National Horticultural Society 

 of France publishes a list of chrysanthemums, and their 

 values, which for three years in succession have been 

 brought before it. Eecently, the following varieties have 

 received the commendation of the society: W. E. 

 Church (raiser Wells), M. F. and S. Vallis (Calvat), 

 Duchesse Orleans (Chaubrier), Dr. J. Eoche (Eagout), 

 Eiverie (Bonefous), Mile. Therese Mazier (Mazier), 

 Princesse Alice de Monaco (Xonin), Baronne de Vinols 

 (Bruant), Mme. Paolo Eadaelli (Calvat), Mme. Gus- 

 fave Henry (Calvat). 



