372 



HORTICULTURE. 



Harch 23, 190T 



Different Forms of Euonymus radicans 



From time to time the horticultural press has of late 

 made favorable mention of Euonymus radicans, and I 

 quite agree with the writers concerning its value. I 

 feel, however, that there is a need among gardeners and 

 others for more precise knowledge concerning the dif- 

 ferent forms of this plant, and their behavior or devel- 

 opment under given conditions. I must admit that I 

 Sim consideralDly at sea myself and am looking for 

 further information. 



There are at least three distinct, green forms of 

 Euonymus any one or all of which a person is liable to 

 get when ordering Euonymus radicans, and they can 

 be seen in nurseries, mixed, in one block, the nursery- 

 man himself sometimes net suspecting that there is 

 more than one variety. Following is a partial descrip- 

 tion of these three forms and the names under which, 

 for want of a better nomenclature, they are sometimtv 

 referred to by nurserymen and gardeners. 



(a) The "small-leaved" variety. The leaves of this 

 variety are about an inch long and about half an inch 

 ^vide, and very short stemmed. The veins are con- 

 spicuously white. When growing free, that is without 

 anything to climb on, its shoots come together in char- 

 acteristic pyramidal bundles bracing each other up 

 back to back as it were. In this state I have never seen 

 it more than two or three feet high. Climbing on a 

 wall, chimney, etc., it attains a much greater height, and 

 also, it is said, changes in appearance and character 

 quite remarkably and produces the next described 

 variety. For some time I was inclined to doubt state- 

 ments to this effect, but recent observations have led me 

 to believe that frequently, if not usually, the above 

 described transformation actually does take place. How- 

 'over, I cannot remember ever having seen a plant which 

 had nothing to climb on change, and I am also quite 

 sure that I have seen old climbing plants which did not 

 cliange. Until the change take.? place this variety clings 

 very closely to what it climbs on, almost as though the 

 leaves were individually pasted down, and in the winter 

 has a rather dingy gray green disappointing effect. It 

 fruits sparingly if at all. To my mind it is the poorest 

 of all the three forms, and comparatively worthless. 



(b) The "pointed-leaved" variety. The leaves of this 

 variety including the long petioles are, on well developed 

 shoots, of an average length of two and one-half to three 

 inches, and of an average width of one inch, or slightly 

 more, and taper to a point at each end. At the lower 

 end this point gradually merges into the petiole. In 

 the case of the "small-leaved" variety on the other hand 

 the leaves are comparatively blunt at the apex and 

 broadly rounded at the base (ovate) and there is not 

 that gradual transition from leaf blade to petiole. The 

 leaves of the "pointed-leaved" variety are very glossy. 

 AVhen growing without an object to climb on its shoots 



C-^C^rj-ty^rifCJ h, elcLx Cay*u4 





(io not gather into bundles as doscrilied above but spread 

 outward and slightly upward after the manner of the 

 ground juniper (Juniperus communis). Used in this 

 way it makes a good ground cover and is an excellent 

 i^ubstitute in shady places, and also in open situations, 

 for such a plant as Taxus canadensis, being much easier 

 to establish and growing much faster than the latter. 

 One plant will sometimes cover an area ten feet or more 

 in diameter. It is useful in large rockeries. In such 

 cases it should preferably be ]ilantcd where the roots 

 can find their way into good, fairly deep soil, rather 

 than in a location where the roots would be subjected to 

 summer drought. Climbing, this variety does not have 

 the pasted down appearance of the foregoing described 

 variety, but sends out shoots a foot or more in length 

 free from support. These shoots add to the grace of 

 the vine and yet do not make it look ragged and un- 

 kempt. Sometimes thi^fee shoots are sheared back 

 closely without detriment to the health of the plant. 

 Ordinarily I do not like to see this, as the appearance, 

 then, is very much like that of the "small-leaved" 

 variety. It is this variety which is so desii'able a sub- 

 stitute for English ivy, and while it is quite true that 

 frequently it is eventually produced by the "small- 

 leaved" variety in the course of years, there seems to 

 be no good reason to wait for such a lengthy process 

 but that the start should be made at the time of plant- 

 ing by using only such plants as have been propagated 

 by cuttings taken from this variety itself. I think this 

 i.= the variety referred to in Bailey's Encyclopaedia un- 

 der the name of Euonymus radicans var. Carrieri. Both 

 the foregoing and this variety produce variegated 

 leaves occasionally. The variegations of the former are 

 apt to l30 green leaves margined with white and con- 

 .'^tant ; the variegations of the latter are usually irregular 

 blotches of very light yellow, and variable. It produces 



