Jiinf 



1 920 



HORTICULTURE 



453 



ASIATIC CRABAPPLES 

 The flowers of these trees are un- 

 usually late this spring, but unless the 

 weather continues exceptionally wet 

 and cold there will be open flowers on 

 at least a few species by the ITtli. and 

 many others will be in full bloom by the 

 :;L'nd or liSrd of the month. The flow- 

 ers of these trees make one of the i)rin- 

 cijial spectacular displays of the year 

 in the Arboretum, and only that made 

 by the Lilacs attracts a larger niunber 

 of visitors. Most of the treesare well 

 covere<l by buds, but there will l)e no 

 flowers on a few individuals, includinp 

 the plant of Mains floribunda at the 

 foot of the bank on the left hand side 

 of the Forest Hills drive. 



This is unusual for Mains floribunda 

 rarely fails in May to excite admira- 

 tion by its countless thousands of deep 

 rose-colored flower-buds and white 

 petals. Other trees of this Crabapple 

 in the Arboretum will flower this year 

 as usual, and the tree of Malus arnold- 

 iana, a hybrid of Malus floribunda and 

 an even more beautiful plant, in the 

 group on the Forest Hills Roads wliicb 

 (lid not flower last year, is now covered 

 with flower-buds. For forty years the 

 Arboretum has been engaged in form- 

 ing this collection of Crabapples in 

 which are now found all the American 

 and Asiatic species, many distinct 

 varieties of the species and a number 

 of hybrids. It still lacks, however, the 

 wild type of the species of western 

 Kurope (Malus sylvestris) which it 

 has not been possible to flnd. This is 

 unfortunate for this Crabapple has 

 played a more or less important part 

 in the development of the cultivated 

 Apple-trees of orchards. 



The Crabapples in the Arboretum 

 hybridize freely among themselves and 

 it is useless to plant seeds gathered 

 from these trees with the expectation 

 that they will reproduce the plants 

 from which they were gathered. The 

 seedling trees may prove worthless or 

 thy may be superior to any of the Crab- 

 apples now cultivated. The characters 

 of any species, variety or hybrid can 

 be preserved in its descendants only 

 by means of grafting or budding; and 

 it is for this reason that many of the 

 handsome plants in the Arboretum col- 

 lection are still rare in other collec- 

 tions. For those fortunate persons to 

 whom the beauty of a plant moans 

 more than its identity and correct 

 name Crabapples raised from seeds 

 gathered in collections like that of the 

 Arboretum might be recommended, but 

 such seedlings will require names to 

 make them salable and gardeners' 

 names for plants of doubtful parentage 



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will only add to the perplexities of the 

 students of cultivated plants. Stock 

 plants raised by grafts from correctly 

 named individuals would in the hands 

 of a few competent nurserymen supply 

 in time the country with correctly 

 named Crabapples and save planters 

 much loss of time. 



The eastern form of Malus baccata 

 (var. mandshurica). a native of Man- 

 churia, Korea and northern Japan, is 

 again the first plant in the collection 

 to open its flowers. This as it grows 

 in the Arboretum is a bush-like tree 

 about fifteen feet tall and broad; the 

 flowers are white, an inch in diameter, 

 and more fragrant than those of any 

 other Apple-tree in the collection. The 

 fruit is yellow or red and not much 

 larger than a pea. The delightful fra- 

 grance of its flowers is the chief attrac- 

 tion of this variety and makes it well 

 worth a place in gardens. Almost as 

 early to flower is Malus microraalus. 



it was first sent to Europe from Japan 

 in 185fi under the name of "Kaido," a 

 name which in Japan has been given 

 to another plant, and owing perhaps to 

 this confusion of names very little has 

 ever been heard of it in Europe or the 

 United States. In Japan it has been 

 seen only in gardens, and Japanese 

 botanists have considered it a hybrid 

 brought to their country from China. 

 From other Crabapples it differs in its 

 upright growing branches which make 

 the tree conspic\ious by its pyramidal 

 habit. The flowers open from deep 

 rose-colored buds and are pale pink 

 and hardly more than half an inch in 

 diameter, and are followed by small 

 yellow fruits. The large specimens in 

 the Peter's Hill Group are not flower- 

 ing this year, but a small specimen 

 recently planted on the left hand 

 side of the Forest Hills Road is cov- 

 ered with flowers. — Arnold Arboretum 

 Bulletin. 



