284 CALYCANTHUS CAMELLIA 



C. OCCIDENTALS, Hooker. CALIFORNIAN ALLSPICE. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 4808 ; C. macrophyllus, Hort.~) 



A loose habited, deciduous, aromatic shrub of stronger growth than the 

 other species, and sometimes 12 ft. high. Leaves the largest in the genus, 

 varying from 3 to 8 ins. in length, and in shape from heart-shaped and ovate 

 to lanceolate ; rough, dark green, and not downy above, paler and bright 

 green beneath. Flowers 2 to 3 ins. across ; the sepals and petals purplish red, 

 changing to a more tawny shade near the tips ; rather unpleasantly scented. 



Native of California, where it commonly grows near the banks of streams ; 

 introduced by Douglas in 1831. This is the least desirable of the American 

 allspices, being of rather ungainly habit. Its larger growth, foliage, and 

 flowers distinguish it from the other species ; as its leaves beneath are neither 

 very downy like floridus nor glaucous like fertilis, it is only likely to be con- 

 fused with the var. lasvigatus of the latter. But both leaves and wood when 

 bruised have a much stronger aromatic, spicy odour, and the flowers are 

 paler, redder, larger, and longer-stalked. Summer leaf-buds exposed. 



CAMELLIA. TERNSTRCEMIACE^i. 



A group of nearly a score evergreen trees and shrubs with usually 

 toothed, alternate leaves. Flowers usually showy, often solitary, never 

 more than a few together; petals five; stamens numerous, the outer 

 ones often uniting at the base and forming a ring or shallow tube. Seeds 

 large and oily,. soon decaying. Natives of India, China, and Japan. 



All the camellias prefer a peaty soil, but will thrive in a warm, open 

 loam, especially if leaf-soil and a little peat be given them to start with. 

 They can be increased by cuttings of firm wood placed in gentle heat, 

 except the double varieties of C. japonica and C. reticulata, both of 

 which are grafted on the single varieties of C. japonica. 



C. CUSPIDATA, Veitch. 



(Thea cuspidata, Kochs^) 



An evergreen bush, 6 ft. high, of erect, rather slender habit when young ; 

 young shoots minutely downy, grey. Leaves quite smooth, ovate-lanceolate, 

 rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, tapered gradually to a long slender 

 apex ; \\ to 3^ ins. long, to I in. wide ; finely and shallowly toothed (the 

 teeth gland-tipped) ; polished, dark, sometimes purplish green above ; paler 

 and covered with minute dots beneath ; stalks \ to \ in. long, hairy at the 

 margins. Flowers solitary at the end of short twigs or in the leaf-axils ; pure 

 white, i J ins. across ; calyx of five green triangular sepals, \ in. across. 

 Stamens erect in a dense cluster, f in. long ; anthers yellow. Flower-stalk 

 very short, clothed with overlapping green bracts. 



Native of W. China ; introduced by Wilson to the Coombe Wood nursery, 

 where it has several times flowered in May. Interesting as a bright-leaved, 

 hardy evergreen (perhaps the hardiest of camellias), it scarcely promises to 

 develop into a high-class flowering shrub. 



C. JAPONICA, Linnceus. COMMON CAMELLIA. 



An evergreen shrub, or small tree 30 to 40 ft. high, of much-branched habit. 

 Leaves deep glossy green, ovate or oval, 3 to 4 ins. long, tapering to a short 



