CARAGANA 291 



C. MICROPHYLLA, Lamarck. ALTAGANA. 



A deciduous shrub from 6 to 10 ft. in height, wider than it is high, with light 

 grey young bark. Leaves pinnate, \\ to 3 ins. long, composed of six to nine 

 pairs of leaflets ; main-stalk ending in a short spine, but not persistent ; stipules 

 spiny, in. long. Leaflets \ to \ in. long, oval or obovate, dull greyish green, 

 silky hairy at first, then smooth. Flowers yellow, f in. long, solitary on rather 

 shorter stalks ; calyx \ in. long, cylindrical, with short, pointed teeth. Pod 

 about \\ ins. long, \ in. wide, compressed. 



Native of N. Central Asia from Siberia to China; introduced in 1789. It 

 flowers in May and June, and is readily distinguished from all other species by 

 the number and small size of its leaflets, the smallest scarcely \ in. long. It is 

 a shrub of graceful habit, much wider than high (16 ft. in diameter at Kew), the 

 branches being long, slender, but little divided, and ultimately -more or less 

 pendent. Grafted on standards of C. arborescens it makes a small tree, but 

 sucker growths from the stock are often troublesome. It is suitable as a 

 specimen for a lawn. 



C. PYGM^lA, De Candolle. 



(Bot. Reg., t. 1021.) 



A deciduous shrub, 3 to 4 ft. high, similar in habit to C. aurantiaca, having 

 long, slender, pendulous, or even prostrate branches. Leaves nearly stalkless, 

 composed of four leaflets, each of which is \ in. long, broadest near the apex, 

 where it is about ^ in. wide, tapering thence towards the base ; the apex has a 

 short, wedge-shaped point. Flowers yellow, i in. long, produced in May and 

 June at the joints of the previous season's shoots, each on its own stalk \ in. 

 long, and one flower from each joint ; calyx \ in. long, bell-shaped, triangular- 

 toothed, edged with minute hairs ; pod f to I j ins. long, smooth. 



In a wild state this species extends over the region between the Caucasus 

 and Siberia and Thibet ; introduced in 1751. It is a very pretty plant when in 

 flower, the blossoms being pendulous on their short stalks from the lower side 

 of the branchlets. It is often grafted on standards of C. arborescens, but can 

 quite well be struck from cuttings made of half-woody young twigs in July and 

 placed in gentle heat. By growing it on its own roots, the ugly and often 

 diseased union seen on grafted plants is avoided. It is nearly allied to 

 C. aurantiaca, under which the differences are pointed out. Its slender, flexible 

 shoots are used for tying in Siberia, and are said to be equal to osiers for that 

 purpose. 



Var. GRANDIFLORA (C. grandiflora, De Candolle} has flowers up to i ins. 

 long, the calyx longer, more sacked and unequal at the base ; leaflets rather 

 larger. Native of Armenia. 



C. SPINOSA, De Candolle. 



A deciduous shrub, 4 to 6 ft. high, of rather gaunt habit* and with long, 

 undivided, spiny branches, hairy when young. Leaves pinnate, composed 

 of two to four pairs of leaflets, which are i to fin. long, \ to \ in. wide, nearly 

 or quite smooth; common stalk of leaf IT to ij ins. lortg, silky when young, 

 spine-tipped, remaining after the leaves have fallen, and developing into 

 a sharp, slender thorn. Stipules chaffy, lanceolate, in. long. Flowers 

 very shortly stalked, nearly I in. long, bright yellow ; calyx cylindrical, with 

 short, triangular teeth. Pod f in. long, smooth. 



Native of Siberia ; introduced in 1775. This is a curious shrub of the 

 same type as C. jubata and Gerardiana, but not so formidably armed nor 

 so downy. According to Pallas, the Russian botanist, in the neighbourhood 

 of Pekin, where this shrub is plentiful, its branches are stuck in clay on 



