CHAP. V. ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ETC. 487 



object of beauty in Europe. It is by nature a marsh plant, 

 and requires abundance of water, particularly at the period of 

 its most vigorous growth in March and April, and is best placed 

 in a pan of water. It requires a light soil, and to be kept in 

 the shade. Sir J. Paxton says that "much of the success 

 in the culture of the plants depends upon their being placed in 

 a southern aspect before flowering, to ripen their wood and 

 buds." The great difficulty, however, here is to induce them to 

 make wood. Flowers in April and May. Propagated easily by 

 division. 



2. H. Japonica. This plant differs from the last in the leaves 

 being of a longer, more pointed form, and of a more verdant, 

 fresher green. The central flowers also of each truss of blossom 

 are fertile, while those of the last are all barren. The habit 

 of the two species is precisely the same, as well as the mode 

 of cultivation. 



3. H. Japonica, variegata. An exceedingly beautiful plant, 

 with large cream-coloured leaves blotched with green. I 

 brought down plants of this from Ootacamund for the Calcutta 

 Botanical Gardens, as well as for my own, but they all perished 

 in the Hot season, seemingly incapable of surviving the heat 

 of the plains. 



LYTHEACE^E. 



Heimia. 



H. myrtifolia. A small, low, slender, unpretending shrub; 

 bears in May numerous small, yellow, uninteresting flowers. 



Cuphea. 



C. platycentra. A scanty, mean-looking shrub three feet high, 

 with small ovate leaves ; flowers small, irregular-shaped, pale 

 dull-red, with two purple-black, heart-shaped, erect lappets. 



Ginoria. 



G. Americana. A rather pretty shrub, three or four feet high, 

 with small myrtle-like leaves ; bears during the Hot and Eain 

 seasons pretty moderate-sized purple flowers, succeeded in the 

 Cold weather by small, shining, dark-purple berries. 



