July 30, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



133 



Notes From the Arnold Arboretum 



This year for the first time flowered Lonicera Henryi, 

 a new Chinese Honeysuckle of the type of L. japonica; 

 like this it is a strong and rampant grower climbing in 

 its native habitat to the height of about twelve feet. Its 

 bright green leaves are oblong-ovate or lanceolate and 

 two to three and a half inches long; the flowers appear 

 in June and July in twos in the axils of the leaves and 

 in clusters at the end of the branchlets; they vary from 

 yellow to orange red or purplish and are about three- 

 quarters of an inch long. It can not be said that this 

 novelty is superior to the well known L. japonica, the 

 flowers being smaller and scentless, though in habit and' 

 foliage it resembles it very much, except that the leaves 

 are generally narrower, but on account of the quite 

 different color of the flowers it may be recommended for 

 variety's sake. Another new Chinese species is the 

 closely related L. alseuosmoides, a slender plant with 

 narrower leaves, more slender stalked flowers and looser 

 flower clusters, otherwise very much like the preceding 

 species but easily distinguished by its quite glabrous 

 branchlets which are hairy in L. Henryi. Even if these 

 two species are not very striking novelties, we have 

 a very beautiful new Chinese species in L. trago- 

 phylla, which must be classed among the most showy 

 climbing Honeysuckles with its golden yellow flowers 

 nearly three inches long and borne in large clusters at 

 the end of the branchlets; in its oblong foliage it re- 

 sembles L. sempervirens and is a strong grower attain- 

 ing in its native habitat to twenty feet in height. Un- 

 fortunately it becomes like other allied species easily 

 infested by aphides. Another handsome new climber is 

 L. subaequalis with broad oval leaves and yellow flowers 

 nearly two inches long in clusters at the end of the 

 branches; it reaches a height of twelve feet. 



A pleasing little halfshrubby plant is Indigofera Kir- 

 ilowii recently introduced from northern China and 

 Mandshuria. It is a low bushy plant only two to three 

 feet high with handsome bright green foliage consisting 

 of pinnate leaves with generally seven broad oval leaflets 

 about one inch long. The pale purple flowers appear in 

 the axils of the leaves in slender spikes measuring with 

 the stalk about four to flve inches in length; the indi- 

 vidual flowers are about three-quarters of an inch long. 

 It resembles the better known /. decora alba in habit 

 and general appearance, but the latter has white flowers 

 and narrower pointed leaflets. Another handsome spe- 

 cies is I. Gerardiana (I. Dosua) which looks quite dif- 

 ferent on account of its very small grayish green foli- 

 age; the pale purple flowers are smaller, about half an 

 inch and borne in slender spikes four inches long. The 

 leaves consist of about twenty leaflets half an inch long. 

 In our climate these Indigoferas do not become woody; 

 the stems are killed to the ground during the winter, 

 but in spring young shoots spring up freely from the 

 roots and form dense bushes which flower during July 

 and August ; they are well adapted for borders of shrub- 

 beries and pleasing objects even without flowers. 



A Locust now in bloom merits attention for its late 

 flowering time. This is Robinia Holdtii, a hybrid be- 

 tween R. Pseudacacia and R. neo-mexicana, originally 

 raised by F. von Holdt, Aleott, Colo., and afterwards in 

 a similar form by L. Spaeth, Berlin, Germany. It is a 

 strong growing tree, similar to R. Pseudacacia, but with 

 smaller and darker green leaves. The flowers are rose- 

 colored and appear, in racemes about four inches long 



during July and August. The form raised by Spaeth 

 has paler, more flesh-colored flowers and is distinguished 

 as R. Holdtii var. britzensis. The hybrid is said to be 

 even hardier than R. Pseudacacia. Mention may also be 

 made here of another new Locust which is shrubby and 

 flowers in June. This is R. Kelseyi, a shrub attaining 

 to the height of ten feet and with its rose-colored flow- 

 ers very similar to R. hispida, but of more compact habit 

 like the common Locust. From R. hispida it differs in 

 its glabrous, not hispid, branches ; the leaves consist of 

 eight to ten bright green leaflets, one-half to one and a 

 half inches long; the rose-colored flowers appear in five 

 to eight-flowered racemes and are followed by pods 

 densely covered with purple bristles. In R. hispida 

 these highly ornamental pods are as a rule only rarely 

 and sparingly produced, but at the Arboretum we now 

 have a form which fruits profusely and whose distribu- 

 tion may be recommended for this additional ornamental 

 feature. 



[^ Commendable Rose Novelties 



Editor HoRTicuLTDRE : 



When returning last year from my European trip I 

 sent you a few lines describing Levavasseur & Sons' 

 Polyantha rose novelties, in the Baby Eambler line. I 

 now notice in the German trade paper Mollers Garten 

 Zeitung that my good opinon of these roses is shared 

 by our German friends. From an article in No. 26 of 

 the above mentioned M. G. Z., written by Mr. H. Eicke 

 of Eoedelsheim, near Frankfurt on the Main, I see that 

 he prefers Eose Orleans to the much mentioned English 

 Polyantha rose Jessie, this latter being reported by 

 different growers as being subject to mildew. Orleans 

 and Mrs. Taft on the contrary are pronounced as being 

 healthy in the foliage, and very free flowering besides. 

 Especially the Mrs. Taft is considered a great improve- 

 ment on the old Baby Rambler, whose color fades, whilst 

 Mrs. Taft retains its clear crimson shade. Of both sorts 

 I had trial plants grown over winter in a Flatbush 

 greenhouse, potted up some time in January (being then 

 imported fieldgrown budded stock). They were just 

 about ready for our early Easter; but a week or so later 

 they were in prime flowering condition, covered with 

 plenty of flowerheads of bright crimson color, and the 

 sappy green foliage absolutely healthy. Eose Orleans 

 shows a white center; Mrs. Taft is of clear Crimson 

 Eambler shade. Both novelties should be very recom- 

 mendable to the florist trade for indoor forcing as well 

 as for summer bedding. 



W. Fromow & Sons of Windlesham, the English rose 

 growers, write in one of their letters to us about the 

 Eose Orleans, which they bought on the writer's recom- 

 mendation, and after personal inspection at the origina- 

 tor's nurseries: "This is far and away the best Poly- 

 antha rose yet on the market." About Levavasseur's 

 new white Polyantha Jeanne D'Arc (or Johan of Arc 

 as it was first spelled) the aforesaid Mr. Eicke write 

 and pronounces it the best white Polyantha rose thus 

 far offered: pure white, very free flowering and of 

 healthy foliage. 



The prices of these novelties are very much reduced 

 this year, so that they are within comfortable reach of 

 all florists who like to handle a superior article in this 

 line. 



WINFEIED EOLKEK. 



