408 



COPTIS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



CORDYLINE. 



are formed. The male and female flowers, 

 borne by different plants, are in small, 

 terminal heads, and are not showy. The 

 berries are two-seeded and black when 

 ripe. The wood is yellow, tough, and 

 straight-grained, and is used for ornamen- 

 tal cabinet work. 



C. BAUERI. One of the best for outdoor 

 planting in the South of England, it forms 

 a handsome evergreen, with glossy, oval, or 

 oblong leaves, which are thick in texture, 

 2 to 3 inches long, and up to 2^ inches 

 wide. The flowers are of no consequence, 

 but the orange-coloured fruits are said to 

 be attractive when produced freely. 

 There are gold and silver variegated 

 varieties worth planting. In New Zealand 

 and the Norfolk Islands it grows from 

 12 to 25 feet high under favourable con- 

 ditions, but when growing in exposed, 

 rocky places it is often a prostrate shrub 

 or low bush. Kirk, in the Forest Flora of 

 New Zealand, says that there is a Maori 

 legend connected with this species, which 

 states that it originated from the paddles 

 and skids of the canoe which landed the 

 original Maori immigrants in the Bay of 

 Plenty. The paddles and skids are said 

 to have been stuck in the ground, and 

 to have developed into a grove of trees, 

 from which all the other trees of the 

 same kind have originated. A plant at 

 Maketu was standing a few years ago, and 

 was pointed out as a direct descendant 

 of one of the original trees grown at that 

 point. 



C. LINEARIFOLIA, sometimes called Yel- 

 low-wood, is a small tree up to 25 feet 

 high, with narrow leaves up to i| inches 

 long. It is not such a fine evergreen as 

 some of the other species, and cannot be 

 said to be very ornamental. 



C. LUCIDA has much in common with C. 

 Baueri. Both it and C. Baueri are recom- 

 mended for planting near the sea, even 

 where washed by spray, violent winds and 

 dashing spray being said to brighten the 

 glossy surface of the leaves. They are 

 planted as hedges in New Zealand, and 

 are said to withstand clipping very well. 

 A third bold-leaved species is C. robusta, 

 which may be included with C. lucida and 

 C. Baueri. 



C. PENDULA is worth growing on account 

 of its fine branchlets and semi-pendulous 

 habit. The small, brownish-green leaves 

 are rounded, and often less than half an 

 inch across. It grows into a bush at least 

 8 feet high. 



COPTIS. The interesting genus 

 Coptis belongs to the Ranunculus 

 family, and consists of about half a 

 dozen species of low-growing evergreen 

 plants spread over the whole of the 

 North Temperate Zone. Coptis is 

 closely related to Anemone, Helle- 

 borus and Thalictrum. The name 



Coptis signifies ' ' cut ' ' in reference to 

 the numerous divisions of the leaves. 

 The species are mostly woodland 

 plants, and all thrive in partly shaded 

 situations. They flower very early in 

 the year, and are useful subjects for 

 the rock garden. Most of the species 

 produce seeds, by means of which they 

 can be increased. All grow well in 

 light, rich, well-drained soils that do 

 not become excessively dry. The 

 following five species are probably all 

 in cultivation : 



C. ASPLENIFOLIA. The leaves of this 

 species have very much the appearance 

 of the Spleen wort or Asplenium, from 

 which the specific name is derived. They 

 are biternate, while the leaflets are pinna- 

 tifid and deeply cut. The scapes grow 

 about 9 inches high, and usually bear two 

 white flowers with five petals. This 

 species is found in the Sphagnum bogs of 

 N.W. America and also in Japan. 



C. BRACHYPETALA. This plant is 

 similar to C. asplenifolia in habit, but 

 has more finely-cut leaves, which have 

 acute divisions. The pretty white flowers 

 are produced early in March on scapes a 

 few inches high. This species is a native 

 of Japan. 



C. OCCIDENTALIS. This is one of the 

 largest species. It grows more than a foot 

 in height. The leaves are trifoliolate and 

 the leaflets are about 3 inches across, 

 deeply and unequally cut and lobed. The 

 white flowers have six petals and are 

 usually produced three together on each 

 scape. N. America. 



C. ORIENTALIS. This species blooms in 

 February, and makes a good plant for 

 the alpine house with its bronzy leaves 

 and scapes of white flowers. When in 

 flower the plant is about 6 inches high ; 

 the flower scapes of this species, as well 

 as those-of all the others, develop consider- 

 ably after flowering. Japan. 



C. TRIFOLIA. This, the most widely 

 spread and commonest species of all the 

 Coptis, is found in the mossy woods of 

 Canada, Siberia, and N. Europe. It forms 

 a dwarf-growing, creeping plant with tri- 

 foliolate leaves and pretty white flowers 

 on single-flowered scapes 3 to 4 inches 

 long. The roots are yellow, and together 

 with the leaves are used for producing a 

 yellow dye. From this fact it receives 

 its common name of " Gold Thread." It 

 is a suitable plant for the peaty bog, soon 

 spreading and forming an evergreen carpet 

 studded from April to July with flowers. 

 Gardeners' Chronicle. 



CORDYLINE (Club Palm). Fine- 

 leaved shrub plants common in green- 

 houses, but only in the mildest parts 

 of England and Ireland can they be 



