472 DAPHNE 



stalked, scattered along the branches, oblanceolate or narrowly obovate, rounded 

 or obtusely angled at the apex ; f to I J ins. long, to A in. wide ; dark glossy 

 green and smooth above, glaucous and more or less hairy towards the base 

 beneath. Flowers in one or more leafy clusters at the apex of the branches, 

 from ten to fourteen flowers in a cluster, opening successively from March to 

 May, and even later ; at first they are rosy purple, but turn pale with age, 

 sweetly scented, A- in. long and wide, covered outside with minute whitish 

 down. Fruit not seen. 



This Daphne, which is one of the most robust and easiest to cultivate of 

 a difficult class of plants, would appear to be a hybrid of natural origin. 

 Lindley, who gave an excellent figure of it in Bot. Reg", t. 820, called it 

 D. collina var. neapolitana. The general opinion now held is that it is a 

 hybrid ; its parentage is usually given as collina x Cneorum, but I should 

 rather judge it to be oleoides x Cneorum. It is grown in gardens under a 

 variety of names, often as D. oleoides. One of the most useful of Daphnes, 

 and fond of lime in the soil. 



D. ODORA, Thunberg. 



(D. japonica, Paxton not Siebold.) 



An evergreen shrub, 4 to 6 ft. high, with smooth, round, dark branches. 

 Leaves narrowly oval, i^ to 3^ ins. long, to I in. wide ; pointed and tapered 

 about equally at both "ends," dark green, quite smooth on both surfaces. 

 Flowers red-purple, very fragrant, produced densely in a terminal head ; 

 each flower f in. long, in. across ; the tube not downy, rich purple ; the 

 four lobes paler, spreading, ovate. Flower-stalks very short, hairy. 



Native of China and Japan ; introduced from the latter country in 1771 ; 

 hardy in the southern and western counties, but surviving mild winters only 

 near London. In Devon, Cornwall, and Isle of Wight there are beautiful 

 bushes of this Daphne in the open air, which commence to flower in mid- 

 winter and remain so until spring. It is one of the most deliciously fragrant 

 of evergreens. 



Var. ALBA has white flowers. 



Var. VARIEGATA has the leaves margined with yellow. 



This species does not need a calcareous soil, and can be increased by 

 layers or cuttings, the latter made of moderately ripened shoots in July. On 

 its own roots this Daphne is not difficult to cultivate, but in the greater part 

 of Britain it must be regarded as a greenhouse plant. Often wrongly called 

 D. indica in gardens. 



D. OLEOIDES, Schreber. 



An evergreen shrub, 2 to 3 ft. high ; branches leafy, erect, covered when 

 young with close, dark grey down. Leaves somewhat leathery, stalkless, 

 oblanceolate, tapering at the base, pointed at the apex ; f to ij ins. long, 

 about in. wide, dull green above ; silky beneath when young, becoming 

 nearly smooth with age, rather glaucous ; midrib prominent, terminating in a 

 bristle-like tip. Flowers in a terminal cluster of three to eight blossoms, which 

 are about \ in. long, stalkless, silky hairy outside, varying in colour from 

 purplish rose to tinted white. Fruit red. 



Native of S. Europe, reaching from Spain to Asia Minor and N. Africa. 

 It is allied to D. collina, but is scarcely so ornamental ; it differs in the more 

 distinctly and uniformly pointed leaves, which are not so markedly downy 

 beneath. In gardens the plant grown as D. oleoides is usually D. neapolitana 

 (^.z/,). The true thing is rare, and not so pretty or good a garden plant. 



