COTOXEASTER. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



COTON EASTER. 



513 



annuals. There are now varieties rose, 

 white, purple and orange. C. atropur- 

 purea, called the "Black Dahlia," is a 

 handsome plant with nearly black flowers 

 thriving in ordinary soil. Syn., Cosmea 

 COTONEASTEE (Rockspray}. Valu- 

 able rock-shrubs and low trees of much 

 variety. Some of the rock-trailing kinds 

 are common, but the bright-berried low 

 trees from the mountains of India are 

 little used. These might give good effects 

 if grouped, and they are very hardy and 

 easy to grow. The trailing kinds are ex- 

 cellent rock plants of very easy culture 

 and propagation. 



C. adpressa. A new and as yet rare 

 kind, forming a low, dense, spreading 

 shrub. It is related to C. buxifolia, with 

 flowers resembling those of C.Aonzontalis, 

 i.e., white with the extremities of the 

 petals rose. The fruit is a brilliant red 

 and ripens in August. It is likely to be 

 a valuable shrub for the rock-garden. 

 China. 



C. angustifolia. A new kind, 3 to 5 

 feet high, with spreading spiny stems, 

 loaded with brilliant red berries, persist- 

 ent throughout the winter. If this plant 

 proves hardy in our winters, it will be of 

 great value in gardens. 



C. bullata. A shrub reaching 3 to 4 

 feet in height, with a somewhat drooping 

 habit, bearing berries of a dark blood-red 

 colour. A distinct, new and deciduous 

 species, with blistered leaves (bulle) ; the 

 flowers white and borne in corymbs; 

 fruit brilliant and about the size of a pea. 

 Thibet. 



C. buxifolia. A free-growing bush that 

 at times attains the height of 6 ft., form- 

 ing a rather wide-spreading bush, the 

 branches clothed with deep-green box- 

 like leaves ; the crimson berries, nestling 

 in profusion among the leaves, are pretty 

 in autumn. 



C. Francheti. An erect-growing hand- i 

 some shrub, 4 to 5 feet in height, stems 

 at first covered with white hairs, then 

 brown. It flowers in June, white, marked 

 with red on the outside of the petals ; the | 

 berries, light orange in colour, appear in 

 September, and last during a great part 

 of the winter. Handsome in form and 

 berry, and likely to be very useful in 

 gardens. Yunnan. 



C. frigida. A low tree reaching 20 ft. 

 or more. During mild winters some of 

 the leaves will be retained throughout the 

 year, while if the weather is very sharp it 

 will become quite bare, the showy fruits 

 being of a bright crimson. If untouched 

 by birds, the berries retain their beauty a 

 long time ; but, if the weather be severe, 



they soon disappear. Mountains of India 

 I he berries of this Cotoneaster are when 

 ripe of an orange-scarlet tint, and the long 

 shoots are in many cases crowded with 

 them for some distance. It is useful for 

 grouping here and there, its main value 

 however, being from the beauty of its 

 berries. Himalayas. Certain other allied 

 Indian kinds, without being any better in 

 effect than this, such as C. affinis, C. baxi- 

 larta, all free-growing hardy low trees 



C. horizontal (Plumed C.). In this 

 the branches are frond-like and almost 

 horizontal, while the small leaves are 

 j regularly disposed along the thick sturdy 

 branches. A charm of this species is the 

 ! manner in which the leaves die off in the 

 autumn : frequently the leaves will be of 

 a glowing red colour, with the exception 

 of those on the tips of the shoots. The 

 berries are very showy, bright vermilion, 

 i and the flowers large and pretty. China 

 C. microphylla (Wall C). An ever- 

 l green clothed with tiny deep-green leaves 

 I m spring crowded with whitish blossoms' 

 i the berries crimson, and, if untouched, 

 remaining on the plants for a long time. 

 There are some well-marked varieties of 

 C. microphylla. It is useful for sloping 

 banks or like positions, while it will cover a 

 wall with such a dense mass that nothing 

 else can be seen. Again, in the larger parts 

 of the rock-garden a place may be found 

 for it ; and its variety, congesta, is more 

 at home when draping a large stone than 

 in any other way. On the lawn the 

 spreading shoots dispose themselves in a 

 very pretty way when planted as a small 

 group. Himalayas. 



C. pannosa. A free and graceful kind, 

 a native of Yunnan, white flower and a 

 woolly calyx, and a red, pear-shaped 

 fruit. 



C. rotundifolia is like the preceding, 

 but with thicker branches and rounder 

 leaves. The berries are of a brighter 

 tint. Both these species may, where a 

 group of the larger Cotoneasters is planted, 

 be used for the outskirts of the clump. 



C. Simonsii. An erect, woody shrub 

 of medium height, with long slender 

 branches and shoots covered with stiff 

 hair. The blossoms appear at the begin- 

 ning of July, borne singly, or at most in 

 umbels of twos or fives, white with red 

 stains ; the fruit, bright vermilion. I 

 have found this a poor kind for effect, 

 only useful as an undergrowth, and poor 

 at that. It is much over-planted. 



C. thymifolia ( Thyme Rockspray). A 

 handsome shrub, with outstanding bran- 

 ches and the smallest leaf of the family. 

 The shoots, at first covered with soft 

 L L 



