864 



SMI LAC I NA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



seedling or sport, only differing from the 

 type in having the leaves bordered with 

 white. Increase by seeds sown as soon 

 as ripe, cuttings struck in sandy soil and 

 gentle heat, and layers. 



SMILACINA {Wild spikenard).- 

 Graceful but not showy hardy perennials, 

 somewhat resembling Solomon's Seal. 

 They are easily managed plants, and the 

 North American species will be found 

 useful for mixed herbaceous borders, 

 ha\-ing rich green foliage and white 

 feathery tlower-heads in May and June. 



S. oleracea is a native of temperate 

 Sikkim, and has been grown for many 

 years at Kew. It is difficult to man- 

 age unless left alone, being a slow 

 grower, slow to increase, and a shy 

 seeder. It is the most striking species 

 in cultivation, and in the south at any 

 rate is hardy, succeeding in rich peaty soil 

 with a northern exposure. It is called 

 Chokli-bi by the natives of Sikkim, where 

 the young flower-heads, sheathed in their 

 tender green covering, make an excellent 

 vegetable. 



S. racemosa and S. stellata are natives 

 of North America, both white-flowered 

 and hardy. They may be cultivated with 

 ease in the mixed flower border, where in 

 May and June they are very attractive. 



S'MILAX(G^/y^« Briar). — Distinct and 

 handsome climbing shrubs, nearly all 

 evergreen. They are most suitable for 

 walls, but several may be grown over 

 large tree roots or may be trained over 

 tree trunks, requiring in this case the 

 most sheltered position that can be found. 

 In some cases it is not the cold winter 

 that kills, but rather the lack of summer 

 heat that prevents development. All the 

 kinds respond to good dry soil, and if 

 the soil is not good it should be made 

 so. Suitable cuttings will usually strike, 

 but there is sometimes difficulty in root- 

 ing them. Some plants can be divided, 

 or pieces may be taken off which readily 

 make plants, and this is the surest way of 

 increase for hardy kinds, the best of which 

 are as follows : — 



S. ASPERA. — A well-marked species, with 

 angular and usually prickly stems, reach- 

 ing a height of 5 to 10 ft. In colour the 

 leaves are dark green, with flecks of white 

 on the upper surface, and the flowers whitish 

 and fragrant. It is a native of South Europe 

 and the Canaries, and has many varieties. 

 That called Biuhananiaiia I know only by a 

 specimen at Kew. It has a long leaf, with 

 numerous marginal setre. I do not find the 

 name in hooks, but the plant is distinct and 

 ])robably a native of India. Variety mactilata 

 is marked by a dense growth of slender stems, 

 reaching about 3 ft. and bearing small leaves, 



so dark as to be almost coppery in colour. 



Variety mauritanica has angular stems of a 



considerable length and 



bearing few prickles ; 



they are also rare on 



the leaves. It is a 



handsome plant from 



the Mediterranean and 



the Canaries. 



S.BONA-.NOX {Bristly 

 Green Briar). — The 

 root-stocks have large 

 tubers ; the stems are 

 slightly angled, the 

 branches often four- 

 angled, the leaves green Smilax aspera. 

 and shining on both 



sides, and their margins fringed with needle- 

 like prickles. N. America. 



S. Cantab. — For many years this has 

 grown in the Cambridge Botanic Garden. 

 It is evergreen, the strong rounded shoots 

 reaching a height of 12 ft. or more, armed 

 with strong, straight green prickles ; the 

 branches slender, and usually spineless. The 

 male flowers are fragrant, in clusters of eight 

 to twelve. This plant comes near .S". rotundi- 

 folia, but the leaves differ in shape. 



S. glauca. — This plant has angular stems 

 of about 3 ft., armed with rather stout numer- 



ous or scattered prickles, or may sometimes 

 be without any. The leaves are partially 

 persistent, glaucous beneath and sometimes 

 above. N. America. 



S. herbacea. — I am not sure that this is 

 worth keeping save in a botanic garden, but it 

 is interesting and easily grown as an herbaceous 

 plant. The tubers are numerous, short and 

 thick, the stems unarmed, usually branched, 

 and bearing ovate leaves with numerous tend- 

 rils. Its herbaceous habit distinguishes it from 

 all others in cultivation. N. America and 

 Japan. 



S. HISPIDA. — Quite a distinct plant, the 

 stems of which are usually thickly hispid with 

 slender straight prickles. The leaves are thin 

 and green on both surfaces, the margins usually 

 toothed. N. America. 



