October 25, 1919 



II () RT I C D I.T V li K 



353 



AUTUMN COLORS IN THE ARNOLD 

 ARBORETUM 



This is a good time to visit the 

 Arnold Arboretum. The unusually 

 mild winter and the abundant summer 

 and autumn rains have been favorable 

 to most plants, and probably the Arbo- 

 retum has never looked better at this 

 season of the year. Conifers, particu- 

 larly Junipers, have not before been in 

 better condition, and the fresh green 

 of the leaves on many trees and 

 shrubs is unusual in the middle of 

 October and heightens the beauty of 

 the autumn colors of the leaves of 

 those plants which change color early 

 under all conditions. 



There can be few places in the 

 world where colors of ripening leaves 

 are so varied or are continued through 

 so many weeks. For the leaves of the 

 plants of eastern Asia, which are well 

 represented in the Arboretum, usually 

 are beautifully colored after those of 

 our eastern American trees, with the 

 exception of the Oaks, have fallen. A 

 few conspicuous exceptions to this 

 general rule are worth noting: — • 

 Nearly three weeks ago and before 

 the leaves of the Red Maple (Acer 

 rubrum) had begun to change color, 

 those of the Cork-barked tree of east- 

 ern Siberia (Phellodendron. amurense) 

 were bright gold color, making the two 

 trees on the right-hand side of the 

 Meadow Road the most brilliant ob- 

 jects in the Arboretum. These trees 

 have now been bare of leaves for sev- 

 eral days. They are still interesting 

 objects, however, for now that the 

 leaves have gone it is possible to see 

 clearly the pale, deeply furrowed soft 

 corky bark of the trunk and large 

 branches to which this tree owes its 

 name. The genus Phellodendron is 

 confined to eastern Asia, and the five 

 species now known are well establish- 

 ed in the Arboretum. On account of 

 this bark Phellodendron amurense, the 

 type of the genus, is perhaps the most 

 interesting species. The others, how- 

 ever, are large and more shapely trees, 

 and the species of northern Japan and 

 Saghalien (P. sachalinense) is well 

 suited for street planting. The 

 pungent oil which abounds in the 

 leaves of these trees protects them 

 from the attacks of leaf-eating insects. 



Another conspicuous exception to 

 the rule that the leaves of Asiatic 

 plants change color later in the 

 autumn than those of eastern Ameri- 

 can plants is found in the Burning 



Bush with winged branches. Kvony- 

 iiuis alatus, a native of Japan and 



Korea. The flowers and fruits of this 

 plant are small and inconspicuous, but 

 lew plants surpass it in the beauty of 

 its rose-colored autumn foliage which 

 is unlike that of any other plant m the 

 Arboretum. This plant, if it gets the 

 opportunity, will spread into a shrub 

 from ten to fifteen feet across with 

 lower branches laying close to the 

 ground, and will form a compact 

 round-topped head. It is a plant, how- 

 ever, which unless it can have plenty 

 of room in which to grow is not worth 

 a place in the garden. 



Acer ginnala is another Asiatic plant 

 which takes on its autumn colors 

 early. This small maple, which is a 

 native of eastern Siberia, Manchuria, 

 and Korea, is not surpassed in autumn 

 brilliancy by any American Scarlet 

 Maple. One of the early introductions 

 of the Arboretum it has been taken up 

 by some American nurserymen and is 

 now sometimes found in northern 

 gardens. A blue and a brown dye are 

 obtained from the leaves, which are 

 shipped in quantity from Korea to 

 China. As this little maple is very 

 hardy, and grows rapidly and produces 

 large crops of seeds it might have been 

 advantageously planted commercially 

 in the northern states had not vege- 

 table dyes been so generally supersed- 

 ed by synthetic dyes, a product of coal 

 tar; and it is probable that these 

 maple leaves may not be much longer 

 used in China, which is already receiv- 

 ing considerable quantities of blue dye 

 manufactured in the United States. 



Another Korean and Manchurian 

 maple, Acer mandshuricum, also illus- 

 trates the fact that the leaves of some 

 Asiatic trees turn color and fall early 

 in the season. This is one of the group 

 of maples with leaves composed of 

 three leaflets and one of the largest 

 and handsomest trees of Manchuria 

 and northern Korea. Like those of a 

 few other plants, notably the Japanese 

 Acer nikoense, the leaflets of this 

 maple retain in autumn the pale color 

 of their lower surface which increases 

 the beauty of the bright red upper sur- 

 face. Seedlings of this maple have 

 grown rapidly in the Arboretum and 

 have flowered and produced infertile 

 seeds for the last two or three years. 

 The plants are hardy; some of them, 

 however, have died, and the fact that 

 small individuals only a few years old 

 have flowered indicates that there is 

 something in the climate or soil of 

 Massachusetts which does not suit 

 them. This is unfortunate for Acer 

 mandshuricum. from which much has 

 been expected here, is a tree of great 

 beauty and interest. 



PEONY BARGAIN 



3000 Festiva maxima 

 3000 Duchess de Nemours 

 900 Madame Ducel 



Tlit* .Hire* 1 finest cut flower varieties; 

 divided root** ; Pennsylvania!! grown ; 

 Immediate delivery. Tin* regular trade 

 prices on these run from $20.00 to $25.00 

 per KM), hut to move them quickly we 

 offer for prompt order and if unsold, 

 in loin of 25(1 or over at 



$15.00 per 100 



If you can use 1000 or more will make 

 the price 



$13.50 per 100 



S. S. PENNOCK COMPANY 



1614 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia 



s 

 Yellow Polyanthus 



The Best on the Market 



Winter flowering clumps 

 ready now. 



$8.00 per 100 $75 per 1000 



L. J. REUTER CO. 



PLANT BROKERS 



329 Waverly Oaks Road 



\\ altham, Mass. 



ORCHIDS 



We crow and sell nothing; but ORCHIDS. 

 If you are In the market for this class ef 

 plants we respectfully solicit your Inqulrlee 

 and orders. Special lists on application. 



LAGER & HUMtELL.Summlt, N..K 



