Beautiful Flowering Shrubs 



the bud which terminates each branch. Each flower 

 has the most minute of calyces, represented only by 

 four teeth, and four petals arranged cross-wise, of a 

 reddish-brown colour. In the male flowers four little 

 stamens stand between the petals, while in the centre 

 is a green central disc which looks rather like an ovary, 

 but is only a dummy ; in the female flowers the 

 stamens are absent, but in the centre of the flower is a 

 genuine green seed-case containing two seeds. The 

 male flowers seem, in this country, to be a trifle earlier 

 in blooming than the female the latter are at their 

 best at the end of April and beginning of May but 

 the pollen retains its potency for some time. Little 

 green-flies in abundance may be seen crawling over 

 the flowers indeed a dull red-brown is the colour the 

 flies specially favour while big blue-flies may continu- 

 ally be found sunning themselves and crawling round 

 the flower. The spikes of male flowers wither away, 

 the female spikes go on developing and ultimately 

 change into the brilliant berries whose thin red coat is 

 over a second coat of milky white, and the two enclose 

 a fleshy centre. Botanically the fruit is known as a 

 "one-seeded berry." 



Outside the flower spike are groups of leaves, of 

 the palest yellowish-green and of ^e shiniest surface. 

 They are arranged in pairs and at first stand up erect 



at the tip of every branch. In the quite young leaves 



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