Laburnum. 3 1 7 



calyx four- or five-parted and somewhat imbricated, with 

 four or five petals of greater length and also imbricated. 

 They appear in late May or early June. The variety 

 known as the golden hop tree, P. t. aurea, is the same 

 in all respects except that its foliage is a bright yellow, a 

 color which it retains the entire summer, if given a sunny 

 position. In this respect it is excellent for the shrubbery 

 or border or as a single specimen on the lawn where a bit 

 of contrasting color is desired. Planted with the Prunus 

 pissardia, or mingled with scarlet-leaved shrubs and trees, 



the effect is fine. 



LABURNUM. 



THERE are three species of this genus of the order 

 Leg^lm^nos(z, each having several varieties which 

 are attractive and showy. They are small, up- 

 right, slender-growing trees, and can scarcely be planted 

 amiss in the border or on the lawn. L. vulgaris is popu- 

 larly known as golden-chain, getting the name from the 

 shape and color of the blossoms, which are in long pendu- 

 lous racemes of bright yellow, covered with soft pubes- 

 cence, and hang among the leaves from April until June. 

 They are succeeded by pods which continue long on the 

 tree but are by no means unsightly. The leaves are com- 

 pound with ovate-lanceolate leaflets, and the stems and 

 branches are slightly bronzed. Among the desirable 

 varieties are L. v. aureum, with golden foliage ; L. v. involu- 

 tum, with curled leaflets in the form of rings ; L. v. waterii, 

 with racemes longer than those of the others and more 

 deeply colored ; and L. v. parkesii, which has still more 

 conspicuous blossoms. These grow to a height of twenty 



