474 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



introduced in 1820; flowering in June, 

 July, and August. The shoots are slen- 

 der, spreading, and rooting at the joints 

 where they happen to rest on the soil, 

 with ascendent extremities. The tree 

 comes into flower about a month or six 

 weeks later than the other ^Esculaceae, 

 and continues flowering, in the case of 

 large plants on moist soil, for three 

 months or longer, forming one of the 

 greatest floral ornaments of the shrub- 

 bery, at a season when very few trees 

 or shrubs are in flower. The fruit, which 

 is small, seldom ripens in England; but 

 in America it is said to be eaten, boiled or 

 roasted : and M. Poiteau, accordingly, has included this species of Pavz'a in 

 his list of fruit trees. (See Bon Jard., J835, p. 775.) When plants are to 

 be raised from the nuts, he says they ought to be sown immediately ; as, if 

 kept exposed to the air, they shrink, and soon lose their vegetative power. 

 The flowers are agreeably fragrant, and, as before observed, very orna- 

 mental ; as are the spreading leaves, supported on long slender petioles ; 

 which, from their graceful disposition, combined with the feathery lightness 

 of the racemes of flowers, give the whole plant an air of elegance quite 

 different from that of any other species of dwarf pavia. 



Statistics. The largest plant in the environs of London is at Syon ; but it is not more than 12 ft. 

 high. The plant of this species in the garden of the London Horticultural Society, 7 years planted, 

 was, in 1834, 5ft. high. In Berkshire, at White Knights, there are a great many plants which flower 

 profusely the whole season, and among them is one, 25 years planted, which is 15 ft high ; in Lanca- 

 shire, at Latham House, one, 12 years planted, 10 ft. high ; in Suffolk, in the Bury Botanic Garden, 

 7 years planted, and 6ft. high. ; and, in Surrey, at Farnham. Castle, several plants, 10 ft. high. 



Commercial Statistics. Plants, in London, are Is. 6d. each; at Boll wy Her, 

 2 francs ; and at New York, 25 cents, and nuts 50 cents per quart. 



App. i. Other Varieties qf'Pdvia. 



In the Fulham Nursery are plants belonging to Pkvia, or intermediate between Pavm and M's~ 

 culus, with the names, Pdvia serrata and P. erecta ; and in the garden of the London Horticultural 

 Society are plants marked JE sculus Pdvia fldva var. In different nurseries, there are different 

 names for the same variety ; and, as almost all the sorts seed freely, and hybridise as freely, both with 

 ^'sculus, and with each other, new varieties may be expected in abundance. All the species and va- 

 rieties are so truly beautiful, that this is not to be regretted, more especially if they are kept distinct, 

 and so described and named as to indicate what they are, and to enable purchasers to be certain of 

 obtaining them. It is almost unnecessary to observe,' that all the most valuable varieties are best 

 perpetuated by budding or grafting, and that, with regard to the pavia, as well as to the jesculus 

 (see p. 469.), collectors ought always to see that the plants they purchase have been worked. 



CHAP. XXIV. 



OF THE HARDY AND HALF-HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE 

 ORDER SAPINDA'CE^E. 



OF this order there is only one hardy ligneous plant in the country, namely, 

 Kolreutena paniculata Laxm. ; and the half-hardy species, which chiefly belong 

 to the genus Dodon^, are not much cultivated even in green-houses. 



