POLYGONATUM. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



POLYGON UM. 



727 



P. latifolium var. commutatum differs 

 from the above in being glabrous through- 

 out, with a flower-stem 2 ft. to 7 ft. in 

 height ; large white flowers, three to ten 

 in a bunch. N. America. 



P. multiflorum. This is the common 

 Solomon's Seal, and is the most grown of 

 all the species. It grows from 2 ft to 3 ft. 

 high, glaucous green; the flowers are large, 

 nearly white, one to five in a bunch in the 

 axils of all the leaves. It is a very robust 

 and free-growing species, its arching 

 stems and drooping flowers being very 

 attractive. There are several garden 

 varieties, notably a double-flowered one, 

 and one in which the leaves are distinctly 

 variegated. P. Broteri is a variety with 

 much larger flowers ; P. bracteatum, a 

 form in which the bracts at the base 

 of the flowers are well developed, flower- 

 ing throughout the summer. 



P. oppositifolium. A charming kind 

 confined to temperate regions of the 

 Himalayas and hardy, although usually 

 given as a greenhouse species. It will 

 doubtless do best in a sheltered spot, but 

 even in the open it has given me no 

 trouble, and it is a good plant for shady 

 spots on the rock-garden, the habit grace- 

 ful, 2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, leaves glossy 

 green ; the flowers, white, marked with 

 reddish lines and dots, are borne in 

 bunches of from six to ten in the axils on 

 both sides in late summer. The fruit is 

 red when ripe. 



P. punctatum. Another beautiful 

 species from the temperate Himalayas, 

 where it is found at altitudes of 7,000 ft. 

 to 11,000, ft., and hardy in our gardens ; 

 about 2 ft, in height, the stem angular, 

 with hard leathery leaves, flowers white, 

 with lilac dots, two to three in a bunch, in 

 late summer. 



P. roseum. A handsome little plant 

 allied to P. verticillatum. It was first 

 sent to the Royal Gardens, Kew, by 

 Bunge, and is doubtless the plant de- 

 scribed in Flora Rossica. It appears 

 to vary considerably in the length and 

 breadth of its leaves in their being more 

 or less whorled, and also in the size of 

 its flowers, 2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, the 

 leaves in whorls of three or more ; the 

 flowers in pairs in the axils of the leaves, 

 clear rose-coloured, are very pretty 

 amongst the narrow green foliage. N. 

 Asia. 



P. verticillatum. An elegant species 

 distributed over the temperate Himalayas, 

 and pretty general in the northern hemi- 

 sphere. It was found in Perthshire, 

 Scotland, in 1792, and appears to have 

 been cultivated by John Tradescant, 



jun., as early as 1656; 2 ft. to 3 ft. high 

 under cultivation, the leaves four to eight 

 in a whorl ; the flowers, two to three in a 

 bunch in the axils of the leaves, are 

 greenish-white, smaller than those of P. 

 multiflorum. The fruits are red when 

 ripe. It flowers in June. D. K. 



POLYGONUM (Knotweed\'Y\xt vast 

 family of Polygonums, comprising 150 

 species of world-wide distribution, the 

 majority insignificant weeds, neverthe- 

 less includes several noble plants, which 

 are well worth considering for their beauty 

 of form. They thrive in any ordinary gar- 

 den soil ; those of a bushy habit should be 

 allowed plenty of space. Tying in the 

 shoots detracts much from their beauty, 

 which consists in the many flower-spikes 

 rising above a gracefully-developed mass 

 of foliage reaching to the ground. The 

 dwarf perennials, most of which are ever- 

 green, need no support and little atten- 

 tion beyond an occasional trimming ; but 



Polygonum sachalinense. 



the annuals, unless grown as single speci- 

 mens, and in sheltered situations, require 

 support. 



P. affi.ne is a pretty alpine plant of the 

 Himalayas, where it grows on the wet river 

 banks and meadows, and hangs in rosy 

 clumps from moist precipices. In cultiva- 



