560 



FOTHERGILLA 



F. GARDEN i, Murray, 



(F. alnifolia, Linnceus fil., Bot. Mag., t. 1341 ; F. Carolina, Brition?) 



A deciduous shrub of thin habit, rarely more than 2 or 3 ft. high, with 

 slender, crooked, often rather weak and sjpreading branches ; young twigs 

 covered with white, stellate hairs. Leaves oval or obovate, I to 2^ ins. long, 

 f to if ins. wide ; heart-shaped, rounded or tapering at the base, with several 

 large unequal teeth above the middle, downy, and green or whitish beneath ; 

 stalk 3- in. long, downy. Flowers in cylindrical terminal spikes, consisting 

 chiefly of a mass, I to i^ ins. long, and about I in. through, of white stamens 

 with yellow anthers ; petals none. 



FORSYTHIA VIRIDISSIMA. 



Native of the south-eastern United States ; first discovered by Dr Garden 

 of Charlestown, U.S.A., and introduced in 1765. It flowers on the naked 

 branches in April and May, and is then very pretty and fragrant. Although 

 hardy, this shrub is not robust. It does not like a heavy soil so much 

 as one of peat and sandy loam combined. The leaf is variable in shape, on 

 account of which attempts have been made to differentiate two or three 

 varieties such as OBTUSA (Bot. Mag., 1341), with obovate bluntish leaves ; 

 and ACUTA, with ovate, pointed leaves. The foliage often turns beautiful 

 crimson before falling. This species differs from the following in its much 

 smaller stature, and in the inflorescence being from half to two-thirds as 

 wide. 



