234 Ornamental Shrubs. 



They are deciduous, with alternate, oblong, or lanceolate 

 leaves holding on late in autumn, and in warm climates 

 well into the winter, becoming almost, if not quite, ever- 

 green. The flowers are generally white, though occasion- 

 ally tinted with pink or rose. They are desirable plants 

 for masses, in borders, or as single specimens. 



L. racemosa is one of the best-known of the group, 

 and is probably the largest, and, all things considered, 

 one of the most desirable. It is a native of the Southern 

 States, growing as far south as Florida and Texas, where 

 it produces elegant white flowers in April and May. They 

 are in long racemes, waxy in appearance, and very fra- 

 grant. The bark on the young branches, which are mostly 

 erect, is bright red, and in marked contrast to the rich 

 green and glossy, oval, lance-shaped foliage. The bush 

 grows from four to ten feet in height, and is hardy in the 

 North, though the flowers are sometimes injured where 

 late frosts are common. 



L. catesbcei is a plant from two to four feet in height, 

 with ovate-lanceolate leaves, serrulate, and borne on long, 

 slender petioles. Its flowers are pure white and beautiful, 

 but with what is to most people a rather unpleasant odor, 

 which is slightly offensive when one comes in contact with 

 the shrub in blossom, and sometimes when in its imme- 

 diate vicinity. But at a little distance this is not perceptible, 

 and its general appearance is so good that this draw- 

 back should not altogether preclude its cultivation. Z. 

 acuminata is a species with snow-white blossoms in great 

 profusion. They are in very short but numerous axillary 

 racemes, the corolla being cylindrical, ovate, and drooping. 



