May k;, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



653 



Cypripedium Curtisii Nobilior 



I. 



Our picture is from a plant exhibited by Wm. Klein- 

 heinz, and awarded a certificate of merit at the montlily 

 meeting of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 

 April 21st. This is one of Sander's novelties and came 

 from Sumatra. It is regarded as a decided improve- 

 ment over the ordinary Curtisii type, the pouch being 

 very large, the color very deep, foliage, stem and form 

 heinff of the best. 



Notes from the Arnold Arboretum 



The Shadbushes and the Prunus are still the domi- 

 nating flowering trees and shrubs at the Arboretum. 

 Prumis nigra is now passing, but as the petals change 

 in fading from white to a pale pink color, it is in this 

 state even prettier than when it was in its prime, pre- 

 senting now a pleasing variety of color among tlie white 

 Shadbushes. Prunus ortliocar'pa and P. Watsoni (P. 

 cngustifolia var. Watsoni), densely branched shrubs 

 ■with rather small flowers are now in bloom, but must be 

 classed among the less beautiful species as regards the 

 flowers. A handsome and interesting species and little 

 Icnown in cultivation is Prurmt humilis which was 

 I'aised from seeds hrouglit by Professor Sargent four 

 years ago from Manchuria where he found the fruits 

 for sale at a railroad station. The shrub is widely dis- 

 tributed in Manchuria, Mongolia and northern China 

 and the edible slightly acid cherry-like bright red 

 fruits are gathered and sold at the markets. It is a 

 low shrub with slender branches covered with white 

 or in tlie bud pinkish white flowers. Possibly it may 

 become a valual)le slnub for its fruits, but as yet we 

 Imow little about their qualities and whether they will 

 be produced here as freely as in their native habitat ; it 

 seems, however, woi'th a trial, particularly in the north- 

 ■ern region of the Middle West. 



The Japanese Pear. Pyrus sinensis, is now conspicu- 



ous with its large white flowers; there are a number of 

 varieties in cultivation witli large edible fruits, but it is 

 more to be valued as an ornamental tree than as a fruit 

 tree. Pyrus salicifolia is a handsome small tree with 

 wdiite flowers and slender partly drooping branches 

 clothed with willow-like silvery white foliage. 



The Apples are now coming into bloom and as the 

 first Malus Niedwdzl-yana shows its rose-purple flowers 

 in color similar to the Red-lnid but of a deeper shade. 

 It is a low tree in habit resembling and indeed closely 

 related to the common apple-tree, but almost every part 

 of it, bark, wood, flowers and fruits are red, even the 

 leaves are reddish when unfolding and turn deep red 

 again in fall. The fruit is edible, conical-ovoid and of 

 )nedium size with deep crimson-purple skin and rose- 

 purple flesh. It was introduced from Turkestan about 

 1891 by Dr. Dieck of Zoeschen, Germany, and is per- 

 fectly hardy. It is to be recommended as an ornamental 

 tree for its peculiar shade of red, unlike any other 

 apple-tree. One of the most beautiful of the Asiatic 

 oi'ab-apples is Mains Halliana (Pyrus Parl-manii) which 

 is opening now its first flowers. It forms a graceful 

 small tree, the slender branches loaded with large pink 

 semidouble flowers nodding on dark-colored slender 

 pedicels; it is also handsome in summer with its dark 

 lustrous foliage changing late in fall to dark purple. 

 It has a particular interest for Bostonians, as the orig- 

 inal tree from wliich all the trees now in cultivation 

 liave been propagated stood until a few years ago when 

 it died on the former Francis Parkman estate in Ja- 

 maica Plain now a part of the Boston park system; it 

 was sent to this country from Japan about 1863 by Mr. 

 G. R. Hall after whom it was subsequently named ; it 

 also had been distriliuted under the name Pyrus ParJc- 

 iiianii by some nurseries. Another very handsome or- 

 namental Apple is Malus fl.oribunda, a shrub or small 

 tree with slender spreading branches. The peculiar 

 charm of this species consists in the pleasing contrast 

 the deep rose-carmine flower buds form with the pink- 

 ish white color of the fully open flower and in the deli- 

 cate intergrading shades of pink. As the best effect is 

 an efl^ect of detail this crab-apple should be planted 

 where it can be seen at close range. More showy per- 

 haps is 21alus Schcideckeri, supposed to be a hybrid 

 between M. fioribunda and M. prunifolia, which has 

 larger semidouble flowers of a lighter pink color. Malus 

 Toringo is also similar to M. florihunda, but the flowers 

 are smaller and usually paler except in the variety M. 

 Toringo var. ntrosanguinca which has flower buds of 

 deep carmine color similar to those of M. floribunda. 



The earliest of the Lilacs, Syringa oblata, is begin- 

 ning to bloom ; in flower it is not as beaittiful as most of 

 the other Lilacs, as the panicles are comparatively 

 small and the pale mauve lilac flowers often suffer from 

 late frosts, but its broad foliage is handsome and turns 

 to a deep vinous red in fall. Also Syringa hyacinthi- 

 flora with lilac-blue double flowers in rather small pan- 

 icles is opening its first flowers: this hylirid has been the 

 'tarting point of most of the double-flowered varieties. 

 Many of the varieties of >'. vulgaris showing already 

 fullv growai panicles will open during the first warm days 

 and mark the lieginning of glorious display during the 

 latter part of May and the beginning of June. Also the 

 Flowering Dogwood, i'lo Ped-bud and several Rhodo- 

 dendrons, of the Azalea group will be in bloom soon 

 and will add tlieir sliare to the display. 



