Rambling Remarks on Plants 



FLORUM AMATOR 



T 



HE bunches of berries on the Viburnmn Opiilus 

 Amcricannm, commonly called Cranberry Bush or 

 High Cranberry, which began to turn red in the 

 last of July, have now put on a bright scarlet color. Re- 

 taining this color they will remain on the bush, to which 

 they cling tenaciously, all Winter, for the birds do not eat 

 them. Their acid fruit is a substitute for Cranberries, 

 hence their name. This shrub is a native from New 

 Brunswick far westward and south to Pennsylvania. In 

 a \\'inter garden of bright berried shrubs this \'iburnum 

 is almost unsurpassed. The variety, Sterile, of V . opulus. 

 the European Cranberry Bush, is the well-known Guelder 

 Rose or Snowball, while V. tomentosum plenum, is the 

 beautiful Japanese (^nowball. Several of the Vibur- 

 nums, of which there are about 120 species widely distribu- 

 ted through the different countries of the world, are among 

 the most desirable of shrubs in ornamental horticulture. 

 The Roman poet, Virgil, immortalized, so to speak, the 

 Viburnum in a famous simile in his first eclogue, in which 

 he says : 



"A'erum haec tantum alias inter caput e.xtulit urbes. 

 Quantum lenta solent inter \'iburna L'upressi.'' 



a prose translation of which is as follows : 



"This (city, Rome) has raised up her head as high 

 among the other cities as the Cypresses have raised theirs 

 among the supple Viburnums." 



Spircca Bitmalda, variety "Anthony Waterer," is one of 

 the most desirable of all pink or crimson Summer flower- 

 ing Spiraeas, for the Spirjeas we may note are divided into 

 two general seasonal classes, nameh', Spring and Summer 

 bloomers, the flowers of most of the former being white 

 and of most of the latter pink or crimson. The Spring- 

 bloomers give in general but one crop of flowers, but some 

 of the Summer Ijloomers several crops. Anthony Waterer, 

 if all the dry flowers or seed pods are cut ofif, and each 

 branch is cut back a few inches, will give a moderate crop 

 of pretty Autumn blooms, and furthermore, the new 

 foliage which this shrub will put on after its pruning will 

 have a variegation of pink, white and green, the same 

 as the new foliage has in early Spring. Of all the strictly 

 deciduous shrubs there is no one better to use in making 

 a low hedge, for it bears pruning well in any season, and 

 is among the hardiest and most floriferous of shrubs, and 

 nearest immune from disease or insect attacks. There is 

 a native Spiraea, namely S. tomentosa, commonly called 

 Hardback and Steeplebush, whose steeple-shaped panicles 

 of pink flowers appear from July through September, and 

 whose leaves beneath are densely grayish or yellowish 

 tomentose. This is an upright grower reaching a height 

 of about four feet. We have always wondered why we 

 have not seen this Spirtea used in forming a hedge. The 

 plants would, we think, if cut down to the ground each 

 Autumn, grow rapidly on the coming of Spring, and form 

 an attractive hedge, producing flowers on the new wood. 



There is a species of Potcutilla. Cinquefoil, Five-Finger. 

 a native of North America, which is an unique shrub, 

 namely, Potcntilla fruticosa. This shrub reaches an ex- 

 treme'height of about four feet. It prefers a moist posi- 

 tion. Wewell remember the first si>ecimen which we ever 

 saw, in full bloom growing in a moist swamp way back 

 in tliose happy days when we spent much time in field 

 botany searching for specimens new to us. This plant, 

 however, like tlie Hibiseus mosclicufos, and some other 

 swamp plants, will grow in a dry position also. We have 



spoken of this as an unique shrub, and we think a brief 

 description of it will uphold our statement. Though 

 growing only one to four feet high, it is shrubby and much 

 branched ; its bark is oddly shredded, the leaves are pin- 

 nate with five to seven leaflets with revolute margins, and 

 silky, giving to the bush a very odd appearance which 

 immediately attracts attention ; its flowers are bright 

 yellow, numerous and showy, and appear throughout the 

 .Summer. This shrub, too, we think, would make a pretty 

 and unusual low hedge. One tires a little, though they 

 are very appropriate we admit, of the ubiquitous Privet 

 and ISarberry in hedges. 



We often speak of persons as sensitive, we meet them 

 on every hand. We have sensitive plants also, not a few 

 of them indigenous. Growing in the sandy field and road- 

 sides from New England to P'lorida and west to Indiana, 

 Kansas and Louisiana we find Cassia nietitaiis, Wild Sen- 

 sitive Plant, the ten to twenty leaflets of whose pinnate 

 foliage will fold up, if brushed gently by the hand. To 

 this genus by the way, belongs Senna, whose leaves are 

 used in medicine, namely ^. acutifolia of Egypt, and ,S". 

 aiigiistifolia of India and also our native ^^^ild Senna, 5". 

 Alarilaiidiea. 



The twice pinnate leaves of our native Schrankia itnci- 

 nata. Sensitive Brier, a plant which, by the way, has re- 

 curved prickles, hence its specific name uncinafa, and 

 round heads of rose-colored flowers, are very sensitive. 

 This plant is found from A'irginia to Florida and west- 

 ward to Illinois, Kansas and Texas growing in dry sandy 

 soil, and is nearly related to the true Sensitive Plant, 

 Mimosa piidiea. 



Miinosa pudiea is not strictly indigenous in this country, 

 but though a native of Brazil, is widely naturalized in 

 warm countries and has run wild in our Gulf States. This 

 somewhat shrubby, hairy, spiny, erect, branching plant, 

 is very sensitive ; when its pinnate leaves are touched, the 

 petioles fall and the leaflets close, especially on young 

 plants. 



The stamens of our Common Barberry. Berberis znd- 

 garis, flowers are very irritable when touched, as is well 

 known to the boys and girls of New England, where this 

 shrub grows, and spring out of the concave peta's in 

 which normally they rest, in towards the center of the 

 flowers. 



There are two old vegetables which when we were boys, 

 we used to see growing in many of the kitchen gardens 

 of New England, generally close to the garden fence, 

 where it would not be necessary to disturb them in the 

 Spring plowing or spading, for these plants are perennials. 

 The one is Lci'isticuin officinale, Lovage. This is a tall 

 plant with dark green shining wedge-shaped leaves, cut 

 toward the apex, its radical leaves being two to three 

 times divided. The leaf-stalks used to be blanched and 

 eaten like celery. Lovage is a native of Southern Europe, 

 but has escaped from cultivation in some places in North 

 America. Lovage may be set out in beds about three feet 

 apart each way. The plants when well established will 

 be profitable for several years with little cultivation. The 

 second of these two old vegetable plants is Crambe mari- 

 fiina, commonly called Sea--kale. This is a smooth, strong 

 growing perennial about two feet high, whose heavy, large 

 leaves are cut and somewhat curled or fringed; it is a 

 native of the coasts of Europe. This plant is worth cul- 

 tivating. 



