526 ERIOBOTRYA ESCALLONlA 



the upper is 'dark glossy green and smooth, except when young, being 

 then covered with a loose white floss. Flowers f in. across, fragrant like 

 hawthorn, closely packed on a stiff, terminal, pyramidal panicle, 3 to 6 ins. 

 high, the stalks and calyx covered with a dense brown wool; petals 

 yellowish white. Fruit pear-shaped or oblong, ij ins. long, yellow; 

 sometimes formed but rarely ripened in England. Allied to Photinia, 

 but differing in the much larger three- to five-celled fruit. 



Native of China and Japan; introduced to England in 1787 by Sir 

 Joseph Banks, but not hardy enough to have ever become widely 

 cultivated. It can only be grown against a south wall at Kew, where 

 a plant has grown well for over thirty years, and makes a handsome and 

 striking display of foliage, but rarely flowers. In the south of Europe 

 this tree is cultivated for its fruit, and is frequently put on table for 

 dessert in the southern Italian hotels in spring. In the south-west of 

 England there are trees over 15 ft. high in the open (nearly twice as 

 high on walls). It is best raised from seeds obtained from S. Europe, 

 where there are several named varieties. Its leaves are amongst the 

 handsomest in all evergreens that can be grown out-of-doors. 



ESCALLONIA. SAXIFRAGACE^. 



A well-marked genus of hardy or half-hardy shrubs, of which all the 

 species in cultivation except E. Philippiana are evergreen. The leading 

 characters of the genus are : leaves alternate, simple, without stipules, often 

 arranged in clusters on the twigs, each cluster in the axil of a larger leaf, 

 and really representing a short branch ; flowers white or red, mostly arranged 

 in terminal racemes or panicles ; petals five, long-clawed, free, but forming 

 an imitation tube (except in Philippiana) ; fruits top-shaped, surmounted 

 by the persistent style. Many Escallonias are furnished with resin glands 

 on the leaves and branchlets, but these are far from being as abundant in 

 cultivated plants as they are in wild ones. All of them are natives of 

 S. America, and are most abundant in Chile. The genus was named in 

 honour of Escallon by the Spanish botanist Mutis, his companion and 

 teacher. 



As garden shrubs the Escallonias are nearly all too tender to thrive 

 well, except in the milder counties, without some protection. This protec- 

 tion is best afforded by a wall, and few evergreens make more effective 

 and beautiful wall-coverings. For such as can be grown in the open a 

 sunny position should be selected, and the soil should not be very rich 

 an ordinary sandy loam suffices, without manure or other fertilising 

 material. They are easily increased by cuttings of half-ripened wood 

 placed in pots of sandy soil in gentle heat. The wood is in proper 

 condition in August. 



E. Philippiana is quite hardy, and of the evergreen kinds the following 

 are the hardiest : exoniensis, langleyensis, illinita, and rubra. 



E. EXONIENSIS, Veitch. 



An evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 or 20 ft. high, of quick growth 

 and open, graceful habit ; branches ribbed, downy, and slightly glandular. 



