IRISH GARDENING. 



117 



Sophoras. 



By C. F. Ball, Botanic Gardens, Glasnovin. 



SOPHORA TETRAPTERA, sometimes 

 known by the name of Ed^vardsia gniudi- 

 flora, was introduced from New Zealand 

 in 1772 by Sir Joseph Ranks. In its native 

 home it forms 

 a tree of con- 

 siderable size 

 and goes by 

 the name ot 

 " Houma." 



The Irish 

 climate seems 

 to suit this tree 

 admirably ; in 

 the colder dis- 

 tricts it requires 

 a south or west 

 wall. .\t the 

 present time, 

 May 25th, it is 

 in full flower, 

 and is flowering 

 unusually well 

 at G 1 a s n e \- i n 

 this year. It 

 was originally 

 planted against 

 a wall about 1 2 

 feet high, but 

 overgrew this 

 protection, and 

 now reaches 26 

 feet in height. 

 Where protec- 

 tion is aflforded 

 by the wall the 

 tree is eve r- 

 green, above 

 the wall it is quite deciduous. The foliage is 

 rather pretty, the leaves being pinnate, bearing 

 luimerous small leaflets. The flowers are freely 

 produced in short pendulous racemes, each 

 flower being of a golden colour about i i 

 inches long. In autumn the plant produces 

 a curious pod-like fruit, constricted about each 

 seed, and distinctly 4-winged, the latter 

 character explaining the origin of the specific 

 name. 



Sophori! /c/iuip/cra, \ar. iiiirrophv/hi, also 



Pllofu hy\ 



SOPHOKA TliTRAPTERA. 



goes under the name of E'kt'urJsia Macnabiaiin. 

 It is a strikingly handsome tree or shrub, 

 and is distinguishable from the ordinary type 

 by its nearly equal petals and by the wide 

 separation of the petals of the keel and 

 flowers when in full leaf. The more open 

 flower gives the plant a more showy appearance. 



SophiTd ja- 

 poiiicci is tlie 

 Chinese or 

 Japanese Pa- 

 goda tree, and 

 is a fairly com- 

 mon deciduous 

 tree, reaching 

 30 to 50 feet 

 h i g h. ^ The 

 leaves are pin- 

 nate, of a deep 

 bluish green, 

 and the naked 

 bark is of a 

 dark green. In 

 August and 

 September the 

 cream coloured 

 fl o w e r s are 

 produced on 

 loosely branch- 

 ed panicles ; the 

 flowers seem to 

 be produced 

 more freely as 

 the plant at- 

 tains a fair size. 

 There is a beau- 

 tiful weeping 

 variety called 

 S. japonic a pen- 

 dula. Among 

 recent introduc- 

 tions from China is Soplwra viciifoli'a, which 

 promises to be a useful, hardy shrub. It has 

 small pinnate leaves and tiny white and violet 

 blossoms. 



A Handsome Broom. — A correspondent writes 

 warmly recommending Cyiissiis sessilijolius as a highly 

 ornamental shrub. Its flowers are produced in terminal 

 racemes, and have the colour of rich gold, and as they 

 appear rather late in the year they come in at a time 

 when other brooms are in pod, and therefore prolong 

 the season of this strikingly handsome genus. 



\C. F. Hall 



