1488 



HIBISCUS 



HICKORY-NUT 



la 



27. mutabilis, Linn. Tree-like: Ivs. cordate, 5- 

 angled and toothed, downy : -"toracteoles shorter than 

 calyx: fls. axillary, opening white or pink but changing 

 to deep red by night, 3-^ in. across; sepals ovate-lanceo- 

 late, joined below the middle: caps, globose, hairy; 

 seeds hispid. China. H.F. II. 11:80. Cult, in tropical 

 and subtropical regions. Intro, in S. Fla. under the 

 name of "cotton rose" and "confederate rose." 



28. R6sa-sinensis, Linn. (H. sinensis, Hort.). CHI- 

 NESE HIBISCUS. Fig. 1834. In glasshouses a shrub 

 3-8 ft. high, but reaching 30 ft. in subtropical regions 

 and becoming tree-like: glabrous: Ivs. rather large, 

 thin and shining green, broad-ovate to lance-ovate, 

 somewhat tapering to the base, acuminate, coarsely 

 and unequally toothed: bracteoles linear, free, as long 

 as the calyx: fls. solitary in the upper axils of the new 

 growth, on peduncles which exceed the petioles, bright 

 rose-red, 4-5 in. across, with a projecting red column of 

 stamens and pistil; sepals lanceolate, joined below the 

 middle: caps, ovoid, glabrous, the valves terminating 

 in a short beak. Asia, probably China: now distribu- 

 ted in warm countries, and one of the best known old- 

 fashioned conservatory pot-plants, and one of the 

 characteristic plants in tropical countries. B.M. 158. 

 I.H. 29:441. G.C. III. 2:529. Gn. 53, p. 127. It is 



now immensely 

 variable. Forms 

 are double-fld., 

 and others are 

 orange, yellow, 

 bright red, ma- 

 genta, and parti- 

 colored. Var. 

 Co&peri, Hort. 

 (H . Cooperi, 

 Hort.), has nar- 

 row white- 

 marked Ivs. and 

 distorted scarlet 

 fls. G.Z.8:176. H.F. II. 6: 210. 

 F.W. 1877:225. Var. Calleri, 

 Hort. Fls. buff-yellow with 

 crimson-scarlet base. Var. Van 

 Hoftttei, Hort., deep crimson. 

 Trade names belonging to H. 

 Rosa-sinensis are brilliantis- 

 simus; carmindtus, chrysdnthus; 

 ftilgidus, fulgens; kermesinus; 

 luteblus; luteus; miniatus; splen- 

 dens; sub-violaceus; zebrlmis. 

 H. Rosa-sinensis is a summer- 

 flowering shrub which always 

 attracts attention. It is often 

 plunged in the open with 

 other subtropical stuff. It is 

 easy to grow in ordinary pot- 

 ting soil. In winter keep it 

 slow by withholding water and 

 keeping in a temperature not 

 above 50. In spring head the 

 plants in and start them up to 

 get the new wood on which the 

 fls. are borne. Give plenty of 

 water when growing, and 

 syringe frequently. Prop, 

 readily by softwood cuttings in 

 spring, or by hard cuttings in 

 fall. The fls. of this plant are 

 said to be used in some places 

 for dyeing hair and also for 

 blacking shoes, whence the 

 name "shoeblack plant." The 

 species seldom seeds in culti- 



1836. Forms of Carya vation, although it is reported 

 ovata. l, la, Meriden; 2, as seeding freely in some tropi- 

 Jackson; 3, 3a, Milford. cal regions. 



29. syriacus, Linn. (Althaea frutex, Hort.). SHRUBBY 

 ALTHEA. ROSE OF SHARON. Figs. 1828, 1835. Shrub, 

 6-12 ft. high, sometimes almost tree-like, much 

 branched, nearly or quite glabrous: Ivs. rather small, 

 short-petioled, strongly 3-ribbed, triangular- or rhom- 

 bic-ovate, lower ones mostly 3-lobed and with many 

 rounded teeth or notches: bracteoles linear, 6 or 7: fls. 

 solitary in the axils on the young wood (late in the sea- 

 son), short-peduncled, somewhat bell-shaped, 2-3 in. 

 long, rose or purple, usually darker at the base; sepals 

 ovate-lanceolate, exceeding the bracteoles: pod short, 

 splitting into 5 valves. Asia. B.M. 83. R.H. 1845:133 

 (var. spedosus, with double fls.). Gn. 75, p. 604. J.H. 

 111.55:473. G.W. 13, p. 65. G.Z. 24:97. J.F. 4: pi. 

 370. G.7:149; 11:167. F.E. 25:459; 32:127. One of 

 the commonest of ornamental shrubs, and hardy in 

 Ontario; commonly known as althea. It is immensely 

 variable in character of fls., the colors ranging from 

 blue-purple to violet-red, flesh-color and white; also 

 full double forms. There are forms with variegated Ivs. 

 Colored plates of some of the dpuble-fld. forms will be 

 found in Gn. 52:504. The species thrives in any good 

 soil. Prop, by seeds, by cuttings of ripened wood taken 

 in the fall, and named varieties by grafting on the com- 

 mon seedling stock. Nativity uncertain, but probably 

 not Syrian, as Linnaeus supposed: probably native in 

 China. To this species belongs the trade name H. 

 Leopoldii. There are many horticultural forms of this 

 interesting late summer-flowering shrub. Var. Meehanii, 

 Hort., is a variegated-lvd. form of somewhat dwarf 

 habit, and single fls. 3-4 in. across, lavender, and pur- 

 ple-blotched. Other trade names that belong with H. 

 syriacus are: amplissimus, double, purple-pink with car- 

 mine center; anemonaeflorus; atrdrubens; tricolor, semi- 

 double, white with dark center; camellias flbr us; coelestis; 

 elegantissimus; Leopoldii; pseoniflorus; purpureus; 

 ranuncul&flbrus; riiber; specidsus; lotus dlbus; violaceus. 



H. aponeurus, Sprague & Hutch. Shrub, to 4 ft.: Ivs. small, 

 ovate or elliptic, sometimes slightly 3-lobed: fls. solitary, axillary, 

 \, in. across, brilliant scarlet. Trop. E. Afr. B.M. 8231. tf. 

 Archeri, Hort., is a hybrid of H. Rosa-sinensis and H. schizopetalus, 

 raised by A. S. Archer, Antigua, W. Indies. Much like H. Rosa-sinen- 

 sis. Fls. red. Gn. 55:310. H. Cdmeronii, Knowles & West. Tall 

 shrub, with heart-shaped 3-lobed Ivs. and large, solitary, cream- 

 colored, red-veined fls. Madagascar. B.M. 3936. H.U. 3, p. 42. 

 The plant figured under this name in Gn. 53:280 is probably a 

 form of H. Rosa-sinensis. H. cupreus, Pampan. Allied to H. 

 Rosa-sinensis: branches coppery purple in color: Ivs. lanceolate, 

 undulate and usually entire: bracteoles 6-8, linear: fls. nearly 2 in. 

 long, purple with carmine eye. Ceylon. H. K6kio, Hildeb. Tree: 

 Ivs. ovate or elliptic-oblong, crenate, glabrous: fls. axillary and 

 solitary, red, the petals to 2 % in. long; staminal column red, not 

 long-exserted. Hawaii. H. Pdtersonii, R. Br.=Lagunaria. 

 H. puniceus, Hort., apparently has no botanical standing: still 

 offered abroad. G.Z. 19:1. H. Scdttii, Balf. Large bush or small 

 tree from Isl. of Socotra: Ivs. ovate, entire, 3-lobed, or toothed: 

 fls. 3}^ in. across, bright golden yellow with carmine eye. B.M. 

 7816. H. spltndens, Fras. Shrub, 12-20 ft., soft-tomentose, 

 prickly: Ivs. cordate-ovate, palmately 3-5-7-lobed: fls. very large, 

 rose-red. Austral. B.M. 3025. B.R. 1629. Handsome. H. sur- 

 attensis, Linn. Trailing, with palmately 3-5-parted Ivs.: fls. yel- 

 low: involucre-bracts with odd nail-like spines. India, but widely 

 distributed. G.C. III. 9:529. H. veniistus, Blume. Very like H. 

 mutabilis, but involucre - bracts broad. Java. B.M. 7183. H. 

 villdsus, undetermined trade name. H. Waimex, Heller. Tree, 

 20^30 ft.: Ivs. suborbicular, crenate, pubescent on both sides: fls. 

 axillary near ends of branches, large, white or tinged with pink; 

 staminal column red, long-exserted. Hawaii. G. C. III. 57:8. 



L. H. B. 



HICKORY-NUT. Notwithstanding the high esteem 

 in which the nuts of several species of hickory have 

 been held since the settlement of America by the white 

 men, but little progress has been made in their domes- 

 tication and improvement. Out of the nine or ten spe- 

 cies recognized by botanists, not more than three or 

 four have been found sufficiently promising from an 

 economic standpoint to justify conspicuous effort at 

 amelioration. Of these the pecan (Carya Pecan) 

 stands easily first, followed in order of apparent value 

 by the shagbark (little shellbark), C. ovata; the shell- 

 bark (big shellbark), C. laciniosa, and the pignut, C. 

 glabra. The pecan differs in its requirements of soil 

 and climate from the other species, and is described 



