106 CEAXOTHUS DENTATUS. 



compensated by the profusion with which they are produced. The foliage, too, is 

 extremely neat, especially in the species selected for our illustration, and which is, 

 perhaps, the most interesting of the genus. Some fears were entertained that the 

 Ceanothus dentatus would prove only half-hardy ; the specimen from which our 

 figure was drawn was, however, taken from a plant which had been fully exposed 

 on a south wall, throughout the last winter, without any protection whatever, and 

 as its capability of resisting our winters will doubtless increase with the age of the 

 plant, we trust that this charming species may be considered acclimatized. Like 

 many other shrubs cultivated in the open air, it would probably suffer considerably 

 from severe frost ; but as the peculiar habit of growth, both of dentatus and most of 

 the other species, renders it desirable that they should be planted against a wall, 

 the protection of a matting can be afforded them without entailing much trouble or 

 expense. 



The Ceanothus dentatus is a branched evergreen shrub, growing to the height of 

 seven or eight feet, perhaps more ; for as the plant is of recent introduction, we 

 have no means of knowing the exact size it may ultimately attain. The whole of 

 the plant is covered with down, that on the branches being of a rusty colour. The 

 leaves are very small, the largest scarcely exceeding f of an inch in length, with 

 coarse teeth, a revolute margin, and a pair of small scale-like stipules at their base. 

 The foliage has a peculiar, but, to us, not unpleasant odour, due to the numerous 

 minute glands on the edge of the leaves, which are, however, hardly perceptible 

 without the aid of a lens. These glands are said to be found only on this species, 

 and they afford, therefore, a ready means of discrimination. The flowers are 

 produced in stalked heads, sometimes roundish, but in the wild plants much longer. 

 Although small, the number in each bead is considerable, and their bright, bluish- 

 violet tint, gives the plant, when in bloom, an exceedingly attractive appearance. 

 A detached blossom is represented on an enlarged scale in the corner of our plate, 

 chiefly for the purpose of shewing the peculiar form of the petals of the plants of 

 this order. These, it will be seen, are much longer than the sepals ; narrow and 

 hooded (cucullate) at the tips, in a curious manner, the stamens being inserted 

 opposite the petals. 



With regard to the culture of the different species of Ceanothes from California, 

 they all appear to thrive in peat, either alone, or mixed with a little loam. Their 

 growth is somewhat straggling, and the shoots therefore require frequent ' stopping' 

 during the summer ; but as the flowers are borne upon the shoots of the previous 

 year, this shortening process must not be performed late in the season. \ 'In the 

 Osborne gardens the C. dentatus is trained on the horizontal system, and after 

 flowering, the secondary branches are shortened back to an inch or two of the main 

 laterals. The specimen in Her Majesty's garden is seven feet high, and nearly ten 

 feet wide at the bottom. 



