380 CONVOLVULUS COPROSMA 



CONVOLVULUS CNEORUM, Linnaus. CONVOLVULACE.E. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 459.) 



An evergreen, very leafy shrub, 2 to 3 ft. high, covered with silky 

 hairs that give the entire younger part of the plant a beautiful silvery 

 aspect. Leaves shortly stalked, alternate, narrowly oblong or oblanceo- 

 late, i to 2\ ins. long, \ to J in. wide, always tapered at the base, 

 but either pointed or rounded at the apex. Flowers in a terminal umbel, 

 but opening successively during the summer; they are of the trumpet- 

 mouthed type common to "morning glory," being ij ins. long, rather 

 more across, of flimsy texture, white tinged with pink, yellow in the tube ; 

 calyx as long as the corolla-tube, silky. 



Native of S. Europe ; cultivated in England, according to Aiton, in* 

 1640. It is not quite hardy near London except against a wall, but 

 thrives in the south and west. There are five strips of silky hairs traversing 

 the corolla lengthwise outside. It needs a dry, sunny spot, and can be 

 increased very readily by cuttings taken during the summer, and placed 

 in gentle heat. 



COPROSMA ACEROSA, A. Cunningham. 



A low, evergreen shrub, whose prostrate wiry stems are covered with a 

 minute down, and form a mass of interlacing twigs. Leaves opposite, 

 either in pairs or in clusters, J to f in. long, about V m< wide, linear, 

 dark green, smooth. Flowers unisexual ; the males from one to four in 

 a cluster, females solitary ; both inconspicuous. Fruit globose and berry- 

 like, \ to J in. in diameter, of a pale, translucent blue. 



Native of New Zealand, up to 4000 ft. It is a fairly hardy shrub, 

 surviving the winters at Kew, but finding more congenial conditions in 

 milder places. I have seen it very charming in the botanic garden at 

 Glasnevin and in other Irish gardens, where it bears fruit freely. There 

 are two varieties in cultivation, viz. : var. BRUNN-EA, Kirk, with brown 

 shoots, shorter branches, and more widely separate leaves; and var. 

 ARENARIA, Kirk, with yellow, more slender branches, and more closely 

 set leaves. According to Mr C. F. Ball of Glasnevin, the former variety 

 fruits much the more freely in Ireland, and is more ornamental. It is 

 suitable for the rock garden. 



Another species occasionally grown is C. PETRIEI, Cheeseman, a dwarf 

 plant with prostrate stems forming broad patches, 2 to 3 ins. high. It has 

 narrow oblong, or obovate leaves, \ to \ in. long, more or less hairy. 

 Fruits globose, \ to J in. across, of various shades and depths of purple. 

 Native of the south island of New Zealand up to 4000 ft. elevation. 

 Suitable for rock garden cultivation, and apparently quite hardy. 



About forty species of Coprosma are found in New Zealand, some of 

 which can be grown on walls, or in the mildest parts of the kingdom, but 

 generally they belong more to the greenhouse than the open air. 



