EPIG^EA 



EPIMEDIUM 



535 



a brief epitome is here given. For fuller details, 

 consult G.F. 5:202 and 8:15; also "The Nursery Book," 

 which gives the experience of a specialist. Occurs in 

 sandy and rocky woods, especially under evergreen trees 

 in earliest spring. Thrives only in a humid soil and 

 shady situations. Transplanted with difficulty. When 

 a too great shock is received from difference of ex- 

 posure, change of temperature, etc., it dies within 2 or 

 3 years, if established at all. Small plants must be pro- 

 cured, removed without harming the roots, and planted 

 under the same conditions of soil and exposure with the 

 greatest care. They may also be taken up in late Sep- 

 tember or October, new roots formed in the greenhouse 

 or coldframe, wintered in a coldpit, but not planted 

 until. the second spring. Best on the north side of a 

 hill, in light, sandy soil, mixed with leaf -mold. Once 

 established it spreads rapidly. Prop, by division of 

 old plants, layers or cuttings. Seeds are rarely found, 

 but when found may be used, though slow to develop, 

 repens, Linn. TRAILING ARBUTUS. GROUND LAUREL. 

 MAYFLOWER. (The Mayflower of English history and 

 literature is the Hawthorn. ) Fig. 763. Spreading on the 

 ground in large patches, with hirsute branches 6-15 in. 

 long just beneath the Ivs., sending out roots and leaf- 

 and flower-bearing stalks every 2-3 in.: Ivs. oval or 

 nearly orbicular, thick, acute or obtuse, cordate or 

 rounded at the base, gla.brous above, hirsute below, 

 green on both sides, 1-3 in. long, petioles hairy : fls. spicy- 

 fragrant, few or several crowded in clusters, practically 

 dioecious, either stamens or pistils being abortive, the 

 female fls. larger and whiter, the male smaller and rosy. 

 Em. 431. G.W.F. 37. Mn. 3:17. Gn. 45, p. 193. New- 

 foundland to N. W. Terr., south to Fla., Ky. and Mich., 

 chiefly east. The vernacular name is pronounced Ar'- 

 bu-tus, not Ar-bu'-tus. A. PHELPS WYMAN. 



EPILJELIA and EPICATTLEYA are bigeneric hybrid's. 

 See G.C. III. 16:629; 21:233; 22:83; 23:391. 



EPIL6BIUM (Greek, upon the pod; the flower and pod 

 appearing together). Onagr&cece. This genus includes 

 hardy herbaceous perennial plants, thriving in any soil, 

 with willow-like foliage, and large, showy spikes of deep 

 pink or rosy crimson fls. borne from June to August. They 

 are particularly suited for naturalizing in meadows for 

 mass effects. A genus of about 65 species, widely scat- 

 tered in temperate and frigid regions: herbs, or sub- 

 shrubs, erect, sprawling or creeping: Ivs. alternate and 

 opposite, toothed or not: fls. axillary or terminal, soli- 

 tary or in spikes or racemes, rosy purple or flesh-colored, 

 very rarely yellow; calyx tube scarcely, if at all, pro- 

 duced beyond the ovary ; petals 4, obovate or obcordate, 

 erect or spreading; stamens 8: ovary 4-celled; seeds 

 comose. 



The taller species, like E. angustifolium and hir- 

 sutum, make very rank growth in moist places, and are 

 therefore especially adapted for the wild garden or for 

 naturalizing along the water's edge and in low meadows. 

 The underground runners travel great distances, and 

 the plants spread fast when not kept in bounds. Prop, 

 by division or seeds. 



angustifdlium, Linn. (E. spic&tum, Lam.). GREAT 

 WILLOW HERB. FIRE WEED. In cult, mostly branched 

 and 3-5 ft. high; in the wild simple or branched, 2-8 ft. 

 high : Ivs. alternate, very short-petioled, lanceolate, 

 entire or minutely toothed, 2-6 in. long, 4-12 lines wide, 

 pale beneath, acute, narrowed at bases: fls. spreading, 

 in long, terminal spike-like racemes, petals rounded at 

 tip; stigma 4-lobed: capsules 2-3 in. long. Eu., Asia, 

 ?. Amer. B.B. 2:481. Var. alba, Hort., has pure white 

 flowers suitable for cutting; also occurs wild. This va- 

 riety was perfected in England. It forms a compact 

 bush. 



hirsutum, Linn. Stout, 2-4 ft. high, with short but 

 conspicuous soft hairs: Ivs. oblong-lanceolate, usually 

 opposite, sessile and often clasping, with many small, 

 sharp teeth, 1-3 in. long, pubescent on both sides: fls. 

 erect, axillary, about 1 in. across; petals notched. Bal- 

 last Weed from Europe. English names are Codlins and 

 Cream, Fiddle Grass. 



EPIMEDIUM (Greek, like Medion, a plant said to 

 grow in Media ; a name from Dioscorides, retained by 



Linnaeus). Berberiddcew. This genus contains some of 

 the daintiest and most interesting plants that can be 

 grown in the hardy border, and E. macranthum, particu- 

 larly, is as distinct, complicated and fascinating as many 

 of the rare, tender and costly orchids. The whole 

 tribe to which it belongs is exceptionally interesting, 

 and is one of the most striking of those rare cases in 

 which the cultural, botanical and artistic points of view 

 have much in common. A well grown collection of these 

 plants in pots would almost certainly win high praises 

 and prizes. Of the 12 genera of this tribe, only Ber- 

 beris and Nandina are shrubs, all the rest being herbs, 

 with creeping, underground stems, and all small, choice, 

 curious, and cultivated to a slight extent, except Bon- 

 gardia and Leontice. Podophyllum contains our man- 

 drake ; Caulophyllum the quaint blue cohosh ; and the 

 others are Aceranthus, Achlys, Diphylleia, Jeffersonia 

 and Vancouveria. A collection of all these plants should 

 make a charming study. What appear to be petals in 

 E. macranthum are really the inner row of sepals, col- 

 ored like petals, and performing their functions, while 

 the long spurs or nectaries are supposed to be highly 



764. Epimedium macranthum. 



a, E. alpinum, var. rubrum; b, E. pinnatum, showing 3 types 

 of spur or nectary. 



specialized petals. Epimedium has 8 sepals and 4 

 petals, which are mostly small and in the form of nec- 

 taries: stamens 4: capsule opening by a valve on the 

 back : Ivs. pinnately twice or thrice dissected. They 

 grow a foot or two high. For E. dipTiyllum, see Acer- 

 anthus, which is distinguished by its flat, not nectary- 

 like petals, and its Ivs. with a pair of leaflets on each of 

 the 2 forks of the petiole. Of their culture J. B. Keller 

 writes, "They thrive best in partial shade, and are par- 

 ticularly well suited for rockeries and the margins of 

 shrubberies. Almost any soil will answer for them. 

 The peculiar bronzy tints of the young foliage contrast 

 well with the variously colored flowers. Prop, by divi- 

 sion." These plants are suitable for pot-culture and for 

 forcing. The Garden 48, p, 486, shows what a charming 

 picture can be made of the foliage alone when cut and 

 placed in a bowl. The plants retain their foliage all 

 winter, especially in sheltered spots under trees. 



