508 EL^AGNUS 



Native of the Orient ; introduced in 1739. Very closely allied to 

 E. angustifolia, of which it may be an Eastern form, this differs in its broader, 

 shorter leaves, which are not so glistening beneath, and in the presence of 

 stellate down. It does not in my experience flower so freely, and on the whole 

 is not so desirable. 



E. PUNGENS, Thunberg. 



An evergreen shrub up to 15 ft. high, of dense spreading habit, and more 

 or less thorny ; young shoots covered with brown scales. Leaves leathery, 

 oval or oblong ; i to 4 ins. long, ^ to if ins. wide ; often blunt at the apex, 

 rounded at the base, margins wavy ; upper surface dark green and glossy, 

 sprinkled with scales when young, afterwards smooth ; lower surface dull 

 white dotted with large brownish scales ; stalk J to ^ in. long, brown 

 like the young wood and midrib. Flowers pendulous, \ in. long, the tubular 

 portion widening abruptly above the ovary ; silvery white, fragrant, clustered 

 often in threes in the leaf-axils, and opening in October and November. 

 Fruit \ to | in. long, at first brown-scaly with the perianth persisting, red when 

 ripe ; rarely seen in Britain. 



Native of Japan ; perfectly hardy near London. It is often grown as 

 E. glabra, a distinct species under the note upon which the differences are 

 pointed xDUt. The fragrance of the flower is like that of Gardenias. 



Var. AUREA. Leaves margined with rich yellow. 



Var. AUREO-VARIEGATA. A richly coloured form, whose large leaves are 

 sometimes 4^ ins. long and 2^ ins. wide, variously marked with deep yellow, 

 much richer than the yellow of var. Frederici. The coloured patch is always in 

 the centre, but varies in size ; often there is only a thin border of dark green, 

 sometimes only one side of midrib is coloured. Between the yellow and the 

 green there are frequently patches of an intermediate yellowish shade. This 

 shrub is probably the most ornamental and striking of all variegated ever- 

 greens. Its effect in midwinter is bright and pleasing. Like many variegated 

 shrubs with the colouring in the centre of the leaf, it is liable to revert to 

 the green type ; shoots showing this disposition must be cut away. 



Var. FREDERICI (syn. aureo-picta). Leaves rather small and narrow, 

 the cream-coloured or pale yellow centre bordered with a thin margin of 

 glossy dark green. 



Var. REFLEXA (E. reflexa, Decaisne). Less thorny than the type ; leaves 

 very brown-scaly beneath ; margins not wavy. Perhaps a hybrid with 

 E. glabra. 



Var. SIMONI. Leaves very silvery beneath. 



Var. VARIEGATA. Leaves with a border of yellow like var. aurea, but of a 

 paler shade. 



E. UMBELLATA, Thunberg. 



A large, wide-spreading, deciduous, often thorny shrub, sometimes 20 to 

 30 ft. across, 12 to 18 ft. high ; twigs covered with brownish scales. The 

 shoots sometimes retain a few leaves at the ends throughout the winter. 

 Leaves narrowly oval ; 2 to 4 ins. long, f to i^ ins. wide ; tapered at the 

 apex, tapered or rounded at the base ; rather bright green above, shining 

 and silvery beneath ; stalk about \ in. long. Flowers produced during May 

 and June, when the young leaves are about one-third grown, in clusters 

 of one to three ; each flower ^ in. long, funnel-shaped, silvery outside, 

 creamy white inside. Fruit globose, \ to \ in. diameter, at first silvery, 

 finally red ; stalk J in. long. 



Native of the Himalaya, China, and Japan ; varying considerably in 

 several respects, one form coming into flower when another is almost past. 

 The habit also varies, some forms being much wider spreading than others. 



