394 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



The double scarlet Thorn, the Scotch Laburnum, Pyrus spectabilis, 

 various Hollies, the Mountain Ash, with its sprays of bright 

 berries, and Prunus Pissardii (for its purple leaves) are also worth 

 considering. These trees never attain to very large dimensions ; 

 at the same time, they have beauty of flower, berry, or foliage to 

 recommend them. They are thus well suited to owners of small 

 gardens. 



Lovers of the class of trees called Conifers (because they bear 

 cones, which are woody bracts or compound fruits) may like to 

 include a few, and we readily agree that they are very useful. 

 Some are deciduous, others evergreen. A well-known example 

 of the former class is the Spruce, and of the latter the Cypress 

 (Cupressus). One of the most useful of the Conifers for a small 

 garden is Cupressus Lawsoniana, a graceful, hardy, and inexpen- 

 sive, if somewhat sombre tree, of which there are many varieties, 

 differing in habit from the type. The Douglas Fir, Welling- 

 tonia gigantea, the Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo biloba), and the Cedar 

 are a few popular Conifers. 



CACTI 



The term Cactus conveys some sort of meaning to most people 

 who are interested in plants, just as Orchid does, but it is not 

 every amateur gardener who could say with confidence what is 

 or what is not a Cactus or an Orchid. 



There are many Cacti, just as there are many Orchids we 

 mean different genera, not merely different species or varieties. A 

 Cereus is nearly as distinct from an Opuntia as a China Aster 

 is from a Poppy, but both Cereuses and Opuntias are Cacti, 

 and Asters and Poppies are not. The amateur who sees a plant 

 without ordinary leaves, but with thick and peculiarly contorted 

 stems clothed with sharp hairs, bristles, spines, or hooks, will be 

 fairly safe in setting it down as a Cactus. 





