ERICA ERIOBOTRYA 525 



E. VEITCHII, Bean. VEITCH'S HYBRID HEATH. 



A hybrid raised in the Exeter nurseries of Messrs R. Veitch & Sons, and 

 first exhibited by them at the Royal Horticultural Hall on I4th February 1905. 

 It appears to have been of accidental origin, but there is no doubt that 

 E. arborea and E. lusitanica are its parents. It is intermediate in many 

 respects between them. In the colour of its foliage it resembles E. lusitanica, 

 but the habit is rather that of E. arborea. The flowers are intermediate in 

 shape, and white. They show their hybrid origin in the shape and colour of 

 the stigma, the flattened shape being that of E. arborea, the pink colour 

 being that of E. lusitanica ; stamens pink. A further indication of hybridity is 

 in the hairs on the young shoots, which are partly branched like those of 

 E. arborea, and partly simple like those of E. lusitanica. 



E. Veitchii is quite as beautiful a heath as its parents, and of more 

 vigorous growth. 



ERINACEA PUNGENS, Boissier. HEDGEHOG BROOM. 



LEGUMINOS^E. 

 (E. Erviilei, Hort. ; Anthyllis erinacea, Linnceus, Bot. Mag., t. 676.) 



A dwarf, much-branched, stiff, spiny shrub, under i ft. high in this 

 country. The branches are erect, sharp-pointed, and in shape like small 

 bodkins. They have very few leaves, and these are scarcely noticeable, 

 being \ to | in. long, very narrow. Flowers borne two to four together 

 on a short stalk just below the apex of the branchlet ; they are \ to f in. 

 long, with purplish blue petals, and a peculiarly large, membranous, 

 silky calyx two-thirds the length of the flower. Pod oblong, J in. long, 

 glandular-hairy, one- to two-seeded. Flowers in April and May. 



Native of Spain, whence it was introduced in 1759, but still remains 

 one of the rarest of hardy plants. The distinct colour of its flowers, more 

 blue than those of any other hardy leguminous shrub, should have gained 

 it more notice. It is, however, very slow-growing, and misses the sunlight 

 of its native mountains. It does not suffer from frost at Kew, but thrives 

 better in the west of England. In the vicarage garden at Bitton it forms 

 low dense tufts of spiny stems, occasionally perfecting seed. At the 

 foot of a sunny wall in the Cambridge Botanic Garden it also flowers 

 admirably. It can be propagated by cuttings or layers, occasionally 

 by seed. It is said to grow so plentifully on some of the mountains of 

 Spain that horses can scarcely make their way through it. Suitable for 

 a sunny nook in the rock garden. 



ERIOBOTRYA JAPONICA, Lindley. LOQUAT. ROSACES. 



(Photinia japonica, Franchet.) 



An evergreen tree up to 20 or 30 ft. high, of rounded, bushy form ; 

 young branches thick and woolly. Leaves varying in size according to 

 the vigour of the plant, sometimes i ft. long by 5 ins. wide ; ordinarily 

 6 to 9 ins. long and 3 to 4 ins. wide ; wrinkled, coarsely but not deeply 

 toothed, strongly set with parallel ribs | to J in. apart ; stalk very short 

 and woolly. The lower surface is covered with a brownish wool, whilst 



