1 86 Ornamental Shrubs. 



exceedingly hard and tough, and capable of high polish. 

 The shrub is small, seldom growing more than five or ten 

 feet, with light-colored bark, and pale green leaves sharply 

 dentate. The dark blue flowers are large and showy, fol- 

 owed by purple fruit that hangs long on the branches. It 

 is an interesting plant for the garden or border, and, 

 though found chiefly in swamps, will grow on ordinary 

 rich land to perfection. Downy arrow-wood, V. pubescens, 

 is not as interesting as are most of the other species, and is 

 scarcely found in our northern latitudes, while appearing 

 in abundance in the swamps of Kentucky and farther 

 south. Gray describes it as a low, straggling shrub, hav- 

 ing ovate and taper-pointed leaves, with a few coarse teeth 

 and a downy surface. The fruit is dark purple, much like 

 that of dentaiiim. Maple-leaved arrow-wood, V. acerifolium, 

 is a low, slender shrub, three to six feet, the leaves of 

 which have a close resemblance to those of the maple, be- 

 ing three-ribbed and three-lobed. It is entirely hardy, and 

 often found growing in the forests of New England. The 

 flowers are borne on terminal cymes, with slender stamens, 

 and are of a pale purple color when first opening, the 

 corolla afterward becoming pure white. 



The dilated viburnum, V. dilatatum, is a native of 

 Japan, and grows to a height of eight or ten feet. The 

 small flowers are in cymes from two to five inches across, and 

 very pretty, appearing in June. The best authorities pro- 

 nounce it a valuable shrub, though it does not appear to 

 have been largely planted as compared with plicatum, 

 which everywhere now takes the lead. The fragrant 

 viburnum, V. odoratissimiim, is a shrub from the Chinese 



