.906 UMBELLULARIA THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



UMBELLULARIA. 



.and useful in Britain. There is a weeping 

 "variety. 



U. CAMPESTRIS (Common Elm}. This tree 

 is naturalised in our river valleys, and often 

 blown down by storms in numbers. If we wish 

 to shade our road or walks with trees we 

 certainly should take the trouble to find those 

 which anchor themselves securely, and this does 

 not. There are many varieties, the Cornish, 

 a pendulous one, and the usual variegated ones 

 .always more attractive in the nursery state 

 than they are when they get older. 



U. MONTANA (Mountain or Wych Elm). 

 A fine tree, distinct and handsome as a shade 

 and lawn tree, and not so dangerous as the 

 common Elm. There are numerous varieties, 



when they are bruised. This is due to 

 a volatile oil present in such quantity 

 that the fresh-cut brushwood burns readily, 

 while from the leaves " Bay water" is dis- 

 tilled. The fragrance becomes oppressive 

 and even dangerous in a confined space, 

 causing sneezing, headache, and a kind 

 of temporary paralysis in extreme cases. 

 In its own land it makes a noble ever- 

 green tree 90 to 100 ft. high with a trunk 

 diameter of 4, 6, or even 8 ft. in rare 

 instances where the trees have endured 

 for centuries. It flourishes upon the foot- 

 hills and along the banks of water-courses, 

 growing in dense groves which some- 



Tussilago Farfara variegata (Variegated Coltsfoot). 



pyramidal upright groweis, and, best 01 all, a 

 weeping variety, a beautiful hardy and distinct 

 tree thriving almost anywhere. There are 

 many specimens in London gardens, and the 

 trees being grafted on their own wild form, the 

 junction is a sound and enduring one and the 

 tree improves with age. 



UMBELLULARIA CALIFORNIA 



{Californian Laurel). A handsome ever- 

 geen tree, seldom planted though hardy 

 in our southern gardens and suited to 

 walls where too tender for the open. It 

 might pass as a narrow-leaved form of 

 the Common Bay, the resemblance in the 

 shape of leaves and their texture being 

 emphasised by a similar fragrance emitted 



times extend for miles, as beside the Eel 

 River in Humboldt County. It is perhaps 

 the most valuable timber-tree of the North 

 Pacific Coast, where its wood is in great 

 demand for furniture and house decora- 

 tion. The small greenish-yellow flowers 

 appear as dense clusters, followed by 

 fruits at first like a green Walnut in size 

 and appearance, turning purple when 

 fully ripe and hanging for many months. 

 Imported seed germinates without diffi- 

 culty. There are few better seaside trees, 

 the foliage being dense and very resistant 

 and its colour distinct and good. It 

 grows freely in a dry porous soil, and in 

 default of seed may be increased by cut- 



