RETINISPORA 



RHAMNUS 



1509 



winter : tips of braiichlets nodding : Ivs. crowded, 

 spreading, very soft, bluisii green above, silvery white 

 below. The most ornauiental and graceful and the best 

 known of these juvenile forms. The intermediate form 

 var. plumosa, Beissu. & Hochst. {Metinisporaplunidsa), 

 has smaller, subulate and suberect Ivs., and is much 

 planted, especially in its golden variegated form. See 

 Fig. 418, Vol. I. 



Chamaecyparis sphaeroidea, var. ericoides, Beissn. & 

 Hochst. {Ii'etinispora eriandes, Zucc. ). Fig. 2094. Dense 

 shrub, of stiflf, pyramidal or almost columnar habit, with 

 upright branches and bright green foliage, changing to 

 violet-red or brownish red in winter: Ivs. bright green 

 above, with 2 bluish lines below. This form is very dis- 

 tinct with its stiff, columnar habit, but is less common 

 in cultivation. The intermediate form var. Andely^nsis, 

 Carr. {Hetinispora leptdclada, Hort.), shows also a 

 stiff, pyramidal habit and bears chiefly small, suberect 

 or almost scale -like Ivs., and occasionally bi'anchlets 

 with spreading linear leaves. Fig. 2094. 



TMya occidentalis, var. ericoides, Beissn. & Hochst. 

 {JRetinispora ericoides, Hort. li. dubia, Carr.) . Dense 

 broadly pyramidal or round-headed bush, with upright 

 branches and dull green foliage, changing to brownish 

 green in winter: Ivs. linear, soft grayish green beneath. 

 The intermediate form, var. EUwangeri^na, Beissn. 

 (Retinispora JSllwangerichia, Hort.), has usually two 

 kinds of Ivs., but the linear Ivs. are smaller than those 

 of the preceding form. 



Thiiya orientalis, var. decussEtta, Beissn. & Hochst. 

 (Belinispora juniperoides, Carr. R. decussdta, Hort. 

 R. sqtiarrosa, Hort.). Fig. 2094. Dense, round-headed 

 bush, with bluish green foliage changing to violet or 

 steel color in winter: ivs. rather rigid, bluish green, 

 spreading, concave and with a whitish line above. But 

 rarely cult, and not quite hardy north. The intermediate 

 form, var. Meld6nsis, Laws. (Retinispora Meldhisis, 

 Hort.), has mostly acicular suberect Ivs. of the same 

 color as in the preseding var. Andeh/ensis. 



Of Chamsecyparls obtiisa no juvenile form seems to 

 be in cultivation, but it is highly probable that the re- 

 cently introduced Jiiniperus Saiuleri belongs here. In 

 a list of Japanese conifers from Yokohama, the same 

 form is called CJiamoecyparis obtusa, var. ericoides. It 

 is a dwarf and dense, globose bush, with bluish green 

 spreading linear, obtuse leaves. M.D.G. 1900, 1:489. 

 Chatncecyparis obtusa, var. leptoclada, Hort., is a form 

 of C. sphwroidea. 



These juvenile forms are valuable for formal garden- 

 ing, for rockeries, small gai'dens and wherever slow- 

 growing and dwarf conifers are desired. They are 

 short-lived and usually become unsightly when older. 

 They are all readily prop, by cuttings. See also Cham- 

 cecyparis and Thuya. 



B. decussdta, Hort.=Thuya orientalis, var. deeussata.— iJ. 

 dubia, Carr.=Thuya occidentalis, var. ericoides. — R. Ellwan- 

 geridna, Hoi-t.^Thuya occidentalis, var. Ellwangeriana. — R. 

 ericoides, Zncc. ^Chamaecyparis sphaeroidea, var. ericoides. — R. 

 sKcoides, Hort.^Thuyaoccidentalis.var. ericoides. —i^.fih'coides, 

 Hort. = Chamaecyparis obtusa, var. breviramea. — R. filifera. 

 Stand. =Chama9eyparis pisifera, Yar.ii\itera..—R. juniperoides, 

 Carr.=Thuya orientalis, var. deeussata.— iJ. leptoclada, Zucc. 

 =Cham£ecyparis pisifera, var. sqiiarrosa.— iJ. leptdclada, Hort. 

 ^Chamaecyparis sphaeroides, var. Andelyensis. — R. lycopod- 

 ioldes, Gord.=Chamaecyparis obtusa, var. lycopodioides.— iJ. 

 Meldensis, Hort.=Thuya orientalis, var. Meldensis.— -K.o&?!fsa, 

 Sieb. & Zucc. = Chamaecyparis obtusa. — -B. pisifera, Sieb. & 

 Zucc.=Chamaeeyparis pisifera. —7?. rigida, Carr. =Thiiya orien- 

 talis, var. decussata. — R. iS»'e6oMt,Hort.=Thuya orientalis, var. 

 decussata.— iJ. squarrbsa, Sieb. & Zucc.=Chamaeeyparis pisif- 

 era, var. squarrosa.— i?. squarrbsa, Hort. = Thuya orientalis, 

 var. decussata. ALFRED Rehder. 



REYNOSIA (Dr. Alvaro Reynoso, 1830-1888, Cuban 

 agricultural chemist and inventor of a machine for in- 

 creasing the yield of sugar). Rhamnctcece. Three spe- 

 cies of tender shrubs or small trees, all native to the 

 West Indies. One of them is also native to Miami and 

 the Florida Keys, and was offered by Reasoner Bros, 

 presumably for its edible fruits. The fls. are minute 

 and devoid of petals, but the berries are half an inch 

 long, oval and purple or neai'ly black in color. Generic 

 characters: fls. perfect; calyx 5-lobed, the lobes decid- 

 uou.s: ovary 2-3-loculed; ovules solitary, erect: fr. a 



1-seeded drupe, with ruminate albumen. This genus is 

 not in Bentham and Hooker's Genera Plantarum, but 

 technical accounts may be found in the Syrioi)tical 

 Flora of North America, Sargent'.? Silva and Chapman's 

 Flora of the Southern United States. 



latifdlia, Griseb. Red Ironwood. Darling Plum. 

 Slender tree, 20-25 ft. high: Ivs. oval, oblong or subro- 

 tund, usually emarginate, 1-1^ in. long, leathery; mar- 

 gins revolute: fls. in axillary umbels, borne in May: fr. 

 ripens in November or the following spring. S.S. 2:56. 



W. M. 



2094. Retinisporas (X%). 



The specimen on the left is Thuya orientalis, var. 

 decussata ; middle, Chamaecyparis sphaeroidea, var. 

 ericoides; right, C. sphaeroidea, var. Andelyensis. 



RHAMNUS (its ancient Greek name). Including 

 Frangula. Rhamndcece. Buckthorn. Ornamental de- 

 ciduous or evergreen, sometimes spiny shrubs or rarely 

 small trees, with alternate or opposite simple vs., in- 

 conspicuous greenish fls. in axillary clusters appearing 

 in spring sliortly after the Ivs., and berry-like usually 

 black, rarely red, fruits. The Buckthorns, except R. 

 cathartica , are but rarely cult., and the hardiness of 

 several of the species is therefore not yet fully estab- 

 lished; but R. cathartica, Dahurica, alpina, Frangula 

 and alnifolia can be depended upon as hardy, while the 

 northern deciduous forms of i2.Pt«rs/iia>ia andTi'. Janceo- 

 lata are hardy at least as far north as Mass. R.Liba)ioiica 

 and Caroliniana are somewhat more tender. The hand- 

 somest in foliage are R. alpina and Libanoticu. R. 

 Purshiana, Caroliniana, alnifolia Dahurica and Fran- 

 gula are also noteworthy on account of pretty foliage. 

 Of the evergreen species which are not hardy north, 

 R. crocea is to be recommended for its ornamental 

 bright red fruits. Buckthorns are useful for planting 

 in shrubberies; they like a rather moist soil, especially 

 R. lanceolata , alnifolia , Caroliniana saaA Frangula, anA 

 grow well in shaded or partly shaded situations, but R. 

 cathartica and its allies prefer dry soil. R. cathartica 

 is a valuable hedge plant, though it is now not used as 

 extensively as in the past. The species are propagated 

 by seeds stratified or sown in fall, and by layers. Some, 

 as R. lanceolata, alpina and alnifolia, are also prop, by 

 cuttings. The evergreen species are prop, by cuttings 

 of ripened wood under glass. Rarer kinds are some- 

 times grafted, those of the Frangula groups usually on 

 R. Frangula and the true Buckthorns on R. cathartica 

 or allied species, 



Rhamnus is a genus of more than 60 species, native 

 chiefly to the temperate regions of the northern hemi- 

 sphere. A few species are found in the tropics and as 

 far south as Brazil and S. Africa. Lvs. with small decid- 

 uous stipules: fls. small, in axillary clusters, umbels or 

 racemes, perfect, polygamous or dioecious; sepals, pet- 

 als and stamens 4-5, petals sometimes wanting; style 

 usually undivided: ovary 2-4-locu led: fr. a globular or 

 oblong 2-4-seeded drupe. Several species yield yellow 

 or green dyes and the fruits and bark of some are used 

 medicinally. The wood of R. Frangula is made into 

 charcoal valued for the manufacture of gunpowder. 



