298 BRECK'S BOOK OF FLOWERS. 



are indebted for so many novelties, only to be procured with 

 the utmost difficulty. It deserves the attention of all amateurs, 

 as well for its hardiness as its elegant habit and beautiful 

 flowers. The Dutch traveller found it cultivated in the Japan- 

 ese gardens, and supposes its native country to be Corea, or the 

 north of China. It is a shrub, from six to nine feet high, and 

 has upright, close, bushy, slender branches, which are covered 

 with a smooth, ash-colored bark, that detaches itself at later 

 periods in thin scales. The leaves are oval, or ovate elliptic, 

 rounded at their base, obtuse or a little acute at their apex, 

 downy beneath, denticulated at the edge. The flowers, which 

 grow by threes or sixes, cover the whole length of the branches, 

 are as white as snow, and very double, in consequence of a 

 complete abortion of their stamens. Their shape is exactly 

 like that of the Ranunculus aconitifolius with double flowers, 

 and their number and arrangement, with a light and elegant 

 bright-green foliage, render this plant a charming addition to 

 the shrubs which grow in the native air." It flowers in this 

 climate in May. 



S. Douglassii. Mr. Douglass' Spiraea. This shrub is no- 

 ticed by Mr. Downing, as a new species from California, hav- 

 ing some resemblance to S. tomentosa, flowering in the same 

 manner ; flowers fine rosy-lilac, continuing in bloom from July 

 till the autumnal frosts commence. This species flowered in 

 our collection last year ; but, as the plants were not fully estab- 

 lished, we could not judge of its merits. The resemblance was 

 so near to <S. tomentosa, that we were unfavorably impressed 

 with its appearance. 



S. sorbifolia. Pinnate-leaved Spiraea. This is a vigorous 

 shrub, a native of Siberia. It develops its handsome pinnate 

 foliage very early in the spring. The leaflets are serrated, or 

 with notched edges. The flowers are yellowish-white, pro- 

 duced in large, dense panicles, in June. The flowers seem to be 

 peculiarly attractive to the rose-bugs, which sometimes disfigure 

 and spoil their beauty by the immense numbers which delight 

 to revel in its sweets. This shrub propagates itself too fast, 



