ACCLIMATIZATION, ETC. 287 



Japan and China. This large, wide-spreading bush is found in many- 

 places on the Iberian peninsula, and no open space, in Madrid, for 

 example, is without it. Its large umbels of white flowers lend it 

 a special charm in March and April. Its smooth, serrated and 

 pointed leaves resemble those of the cherry-laurel in their form 

 and size. One of its peculiarities is the appearance of older 

 purple and brownish red leaves against the younger, which are a 

 beautiful green. 



The Tobira was introduced into our hot houses in 1804 under 

 the name Pittosporum sinense. It grows out of doors in Southern 

 Europe, as in Southern Japan, to a bush of medium height, and 

 during the past two decades has been more and more superseded 

 by its more stately Australian relative, P. imdulatuni. The latter 

 is specially frequent in the parks of Portugal, and particularly in 

 the gardens of Lisbon. It grows as a beautifully formed tree, of 

 70-80 cm. circumference and 8-10 m. in height. The yellowish 

 white blossoms, which appear in spring, have a much stronger and 

 more agreeable smell than the pure white flowers of the Tobira, 

 which appear some four weeks later. The regular form and even 

 distribution of its leaves also make it more ornamental than the 

 Tobira, whose leaves are oval and crowded together at the end of 

 the twigs. Olea fragrans, Thunb., although imported to Europe 

 from Japan, is only an ornamental plant there, originating in 

 China, as its name, T6-sei, indicates.^ What Pittosporum undu- 

 latiim is in spring to the gardens of Lisbon, Malaga, and other 

 Iberian cities, that and far more by Olea fragrans becomes in 

 September and October to the gardens and parks of Northern and 

 Middle Italy. Its simple white blossoms then shed their fragrance 

 far and near in the gardens on Lakes Como and Maggiore, in 

 Florence and the Riviera. In Genoa I remember it only in a 

 little park near Acqua Sola. 



Besides these, there is a wild olive (Elcsagnus nmbellata, Thunb., 

 E. reflexa^ Morr.) here and there in Northern Italy, e.g.^ near 

 Pallanza, which is very popular. It is trained upon houses, and 

 more still on the garden fences, clothing them with a beautiful 

 green, as the long, winding shoots may be easily twined in and 

 out through the iron palings. This plant grows as a medium- 

 sized bush very extensively in the Himalayas, China and Japan, 

 bearing the name of Gumi. It is cultivated also as an ornamental 

 shrub. 



Eitonymiis radicans^ Sieb., Jap. Tsuru-masaki, serves similar 

 purposes. Although quite hardy in the warmer parts of Ger- 

 many, it has not yet received due consideration. It is very 

 widely distributed in Japan as a bush. If it finds anything on 

 which it can lean however, a tree, or rocky slope or a wall, its 

 mode of life resembles that of the ivy. Providing itself quickly 



^ I refer to p. 123, and what is said there concerning the use of the flowers 

 of the Kwei-hwa by ihe Chinese, in perfuming tea. 



