278 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



312. Weige^lia ama'bilis Planch. Wrinkle-Leaved Wei- 

 GELiA. (Caprifoliaceas.) China. 



a hardy shrub ; growing three to four feet hi?h; with rose-colored flowers ; appearing in June; 

 increased by layers; grown in good rich soil. Bot. Mag., 185G, pi. 4S93. 



The Weigelia rosea has taken the highest rank among our 

 hardy shrubs ; indeed, few, if any, possess greater claims upon 

 our attention, and, as soon as it becomes better known, will 

 be found in every collection of fine shrubs. The W. amabi- 

 lis greatly resembles it ; the principal difference being in the 

 size and reticulation of the leaves, and in the undulated and 

 crenate lobes of the corolla — distinctions just sufficient to 

 render it different without lessening its beauty — perhaps 

 increasing it, for, to judge from the plate before us, the retic- 

 ulation of its leaves renders it neater in its general aspect 

 than the W. rosea. It is quite hardy. (Bot. Blag.^ Jan.) 



OUR ORNAMENTAL TREES. 



by tub editor. 



4. The Cucumber Tree, (Magnolia acuminata, L.) 



Among all the ornamental trees yet known, either native or 

 exotic, none can vie with the Magnolias. Stately in habit, 

 magnificent in foliage, and splendid in flowers, they surpass 

 all others. Yet, notwithstanding their great merits, they are 

 rarely seen under cultivation. An impression seems to have 

 prevailed that they were not perfectly hardy, were impatient 

 of removal, and difficult to procure ; but these were mistaken 

 notions. They have, however, prevented their general intro- 

 duction into our plantations, and trees of any size are rarely 

 to be found. In England, where they were first introduced 

 upwards of a hundred years ago, they are extensively sought 

 after, and everywhere planted. At Syon House and White 

 Knights there are trees upwards of sixty feet high. 



Michaux, who had the best of facilities for appreciating the 

 Magnolias, considers the Cucumber tree (fig. 18) "a beautiful 

 vegetable, equal in height and diameter to the Large-fiowered 



