866 SOLA NUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



SOLAN UM. 



ft. as a bush in the open, and exceeds this 

 against a wall. It is one of the hardiest kinds, 

 resisting as far north as the Trent on warm 

 soils, though dying to the ground in a hard 

 winter. The leaves vary in size, being much 

 larger towards the base than at the tips of the 

 shoots, and waved or loosely crisped around 

 the edges. The flowers are a pretty bluish 

 colour, fragrant, and very abundant during 

 early summer ; the small white berries to 

 which they give place are seldom seen in 

 Britain. The plant is best in poor dry soil. 

 There are two or three forms in cultivation, 

 one with inferior dull purple flowers which 

 should be avoided ; and ligustrinnm with 

 smaller heart-shaped leaves. When grown 

 against a wall this plant should be well pruned 

 in autumn or it suffers from frost ; where it 

 thrives as a standard this is unnecessary. 



S. DULCAMARA (Bitter Sweet}. This showy 

 native plant so common in our hedges would 

 not be worth naming among garden plants, 

 but for the golden-leaved form which exists. 

 The variegation is bold and does not burn in 

 the sun, giving good contrast with abundant 

 purple flowers. Berries red or yellow, and 

 poisonous, so that when used in a garden it 

 should be beyond the reach of children. 



S. DUPLOSINCJATUM is a beautiful plant of 

 good habit for the summer garden, with fine 

 foliage, large blue flowers, and pure white 

 berries. Abyssinia. 



S. FERRUGINEUM is a bushy shrub of 3 to 

 5 ft., enveloped in rust-coloured down and 

 stout spines. The flowers are lilac-purple, 

 followed by greenish-black berries the size of 

 a pea. S. America. 



S. GIGANTEUM is a tree of 25 ft. in its own 

 land, with a trunk as thick as a man's thigh. 

 With us it is 5 or 6 ft. high, prickly, and 

 covered in white wool ; the leaves unarmed, 

 deep green above and whitish beneath ; the 

 flowers pale blue, not showy ; the berries red 

 and as large as peas. India. 



S. GUINEENSE from West Africa, a low 

 shrubby annual with angular stems, rounded 

 leaves, and small violet flowers succeeded by 

 shiny dark fruits the size of a cherry, and 

 hanging in heavy clusters after the leaves have 

 gone. 



S. JASMINOIDES 'Jasmine Nightshade}. 

 A charming summer-leafing climber and the 

 most beautiful of the family, hardy anywhere 

 in the south of Britain where its wreaths of 

 starry white flowers are freely produced upon 

 a wall or house-front, even in a north aspect. 

 The shoots are twiggy and unarmed, climbing 

 rapidly and finding support by a curious twist 

 of the leaf-stalk. The leaves are variable but 

 often lance-shaped, sharply tapering, dark 

 green and rather limp. Grown out of doors 

 and in a strong light, the flowers are more or 

 less shaded with greyish-blue or purple, and 

 there is a charming pale bluish variety in 

 which the colour seems fixed. Other good 

 forms uccJbrifottiAtm, very free in flower and 

 with smaller leaves ; and grandifloriim in 

 which the flowers and clusters are large. There 



is also a variegated form. The flowers are 

 pure white if grown in partial shade, or in a 

 north house. The shoots should be well cut 

 in after frost is over in spring, and water at 

 the root and overhead is necessary in hot 

 weather to ward off red spider and other pests. 

 Increase from side-shoots taken with a heel. 



S. KARSTENH. A stout erect shrub of 5 

 or 6 ft., the stems covered with violet hairs 

 and spines and bearing broad angular leaves 

 2 ft. long, heart-shaped at the base. The 

 large pale-violet flowers are borne in crowded 

 clusters. Venezuela. Syn. S. callicarpum. 



V. LACINIATUM (Kangaroo Apple}. A stout 

 rapid-growing plant from the antipodes, with 

 dark fleshy stems growing 4 to 6 feet in a 

 season ; much-divided leaves, dark violet 

 flowers, and fruits the size of a small plum, 

 changing from green to yellow and red. One 

 of the easiest to grow, and nearly hardy on 

 the south coast. Syn. S. aviculare. 



S. LANCEOLATUM bears heavy clusters ol 

 mauve flowers with orange stamens, and fluffy 

 leaves like a willow. Mexico. 



S. LASIOSTYLUM. A low shrub of the West 

 Australian deserts, with white woolly leaves, 

 spiny stems, and purple flowers. The young 

 plants need a warm place and careful watering. 



S. MARGINATUM is a handsome freely- 

 branched species, the stout woody stems 

 coated with white wool and armed with 

 prickles. The leaves are oval, green above 

 with a waved white margin, and white under- 

 neath and while young. The drooping white 

 flowers are purple at the centre with orange 

 stamens, and give place to yellow fruits like a 

 small Tomato. Abyssinia. 



S. MORS ELEPHANTUM from Central Africa, 

 where the fruits are said to poison elephants. 

 The plant is 3 or 4 ft. high, with violet stems, 

 deep green foliage, and large bright blue 

 flowers followed by bright pale yellow fruits 

 carried erect and in threes. 



S. MACRANTHUM. A handsome Brazilian 

 shrub growing 7 ft. high in a good season, 

 with grey-spotted stems, pale green deeply-cut 

 leaves of great size, gracefully drooping, and 

 threaded by reddish veins thickly set with 

 spines. The large bluish-violet flowers are 

 seldom seen in this country, and to do well the 

 plant needs a warm place. Syn. S. maroniense. 



S. PIERREANUM is a kind from West Africa, 

 the beauty of which lies in the abundant fruits, 

 first green with purple stripes, then white, 

 passing to yellow and deep crimson, the dark 

 stripes being more or less marked at all stages. 

 The stems are white and woolly, and the 

 young leaves violet, becoming green with 

 violet veins. 



S. PLATENSE. A true creeper, which in- 

 stead of rambling over the surrounding vegeta- 

 tion runs over the ground, rooting as it goes 

 and seldom rising more than a foot high. It 

 is found on the banks of the La Plata as a 

 carpet of grey downy leaves, with white bell- 

 shaped flowers on short erect stems, followed 

 by sweet fruits of the same colour. 



S. PYRACANTHUM. A fine shrubby species 



