MAGNOLIA 73 



unfailingly, and flowers even when less than I foot high. An attractive 

 picture is made by planting this shrub in a group and growing beneath it, 

 thickly, the blue grape hyacinth (Muscari comosum). The two flower together. 

 This Magnolia is much benefited by an admixture of peat in the soil, even to 

 the extent of one-third. (See plate Vol. i., p. 83.) 



M. THOMPSONIANA, Hort. 



(M. glauca var. major, Sims ; Bot. Mag., t. 2164.} 



About the year 1808 a Mr Thompson, then a nurseryman at Mile End, 

 noticed a distinct plant amongst some of his seedlings of Magnolia glauca. 

 He propagated it and ultimately distributed it under the above name. It is 

 now usually regarded as a hybrid between glauca and tripetala, although 

 there is much less evidence of tripetala than of glauca. It is a shrub of loose, 

 ungainly habit, producing very vigorous unbranched growths of great length 

 in one season. The leaves are 4 to 10 ins. long, very glaucous beneath, and 

 otherwise similar to those of M. glauca. The flowers are creamy white, much 

 larger and less globular than those of M. glauca, the petals being from 2 to 3^ 

 ins. long. I have not seen or heard of its producing seeds, but if it did and 

 these were sown, the question of its hybrid or other origin would probably be 

 settled. 



M. TRIPETALA, Linnceus. UMBRELLA TREE. 



(M. umbrella, Lamarck.) 



A deciduous tree, 30 to 40 ft. high, with a wide-spreading, open head of 

 branches. Leaves among the largest in the genus, usually 12 to 20 ins. 

 long, and 6 to 10 ins. wide (sometimes still larger) ; broadly oblanceolate, 

 acute, tapered at both ends, pubescent beneath when young, strongly 

 ribbed ; stalk i to 2 ins. long. Flowers produced in May and June, heavily 

 and not agreeably scented. Petals six or nine, creamy white, 4 to 5 ins. long, 

 2 ins. wide (inner ones smaller). Fruit 4 ins. long, cone-shaped, of a fine 

 rosy red ; produced freely in this country, and very handsome ; seeds scarlet. 



Native of Eastern N. America in the Allegheny region, from Pennsylvania 

 southwards ; introduced in 1752, and first flowered with Peter Collinson, 

 May 24, 1760. Once the commonest and best known of American Magnolias. 

 It is called the "umbrella tree" from the pose of its radiating cluster of 

 large decurved leaves produced at the apex of the shoots. From the other 

 big-leaved American species it is distinguished by the tapering base of 

 its leaves. As a fruit-bearing tree it is the handsomest of all the Magnolias 

 in this country. The finest specimen I know of is in the gardens at Sandon 

 Hall, Weston, Stafford, which has a main trunk 9 ft. 9 ins. in . girth near 

 the ground, and is about 25 ft. high and through. There is another at 

 Hartlebury Rectory, Kidderminster, whose trunk is 6 ft. in girth at i ft. from 

 the ground. 



M. WATSON i, Hooker fil. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 7IS7-) 



A deciduous shrub or small tree, of .stiff habit. Leaves obovate, 4 to 8 ins. 

 long, tapering at the base to a stalk j to i in. long ; apex blunt ; dark green 

 above, rather glaucous and slightly hairy beneath. Flower 5 or 6 ins. across, 

 with a powerful aromatic odour. Petals obovate, the inner ones ivory white, 

 the outer ones tinged with rose ; stamens crimson, forming a conspicuous 

 mass of rich colour 2 ins. across in the centre of the flower. 



