THE BINDWEED FAMILY. 267 



said to be bathed in gold, and which does not burn in light 

 soils like some of the striped golden kinds. It originated some 

 ten or twelve years ago among a batch of seedlings of the Irish 

 Yew, and like its parent variety, this new golden form has a 

 compact fastigiate habit. A clayey soil and a shady position 

 best suit all the variegated forms of the Yew. 



THE BINDWEED FAMILY (Convolvulacece). 



A group of elegant-habited herbaceous plants, usually of 

 twining or scandent habit, and most abundant in tropical coun- 

 tries two or three species, however, being natives of Britain. 

 In our gardens they are represented by species of Calystegia, 

 Convolvulus, Exogonium (Jalap Plant), Ipo?ncea, Batatas (Sweet- 

 Potatoe). Nearly all the perennial species of Convolvulus are 

 readily propagated from root-cuttings, and seeds germinate 

 freely in a gentle heat of 70 to 75. It is curious to note 

 that some of the annual species of Convolvulus become peren- 

 nial when grafted on perennial species as a stock ; and further 

 experiments in grafting annual and perennial species on each 

 other as scion and stock would be highly interesting. In 

 some cases grafting is the best method of propagating Ipo- 

 maeas. Sweet-Potatoes are largely cultivated in most tropical 

 countries, and are readily propagated by planting tubers, as in 

 the case of Potatoes. They are planted widely apart, and a 

 secondary or later crop of tubers is obtained by layering the 

 stems. In some cases cuttings are taken off and inserted in 

 a hotbed, where they root readily and form tubers the same 

 season. 



Batatas paniculatus is a noble, quick-growing trailer, with 

 deciduous branches and large flowers of a deep rose colour. 

 The thick root-stock of this plant cut into pieces, each well 

 furnished with fibres, forms an excellent stock for /. Horsfallice 

 and other Ipomaeas, which do not seed readily, and are diffi- 

 cult to root from cuttings. The plant is a native of the East 

 Indies, and was introduced prior to 1812. 



One of the most graceful and effective of all the hardy species 

 is the large-flowered variety of C. sepium, a British species 

 popularly known as the " Hedge Lily." A pink or rosy flowered 

 form has long been known in gardens under the name of C. 

 americanus (see ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 733) ; and these forms might 

 possibly be much improved by raising and selecting seedlings 

 or by hybridising. 



