CHAP. V. ORNAMENTAL TREES, SHRUBS, ETC. 499 



rather ornamental, with its oval, pointed, rigid leaves, of a 

 peculiar bluish tinge ; blossoms from February to March with 

 very small, "pure white, delightfully fragrant flowers, borne in 

 small bunches, situated closely upon the stems. Mr. Fortune 

 says that the Chinese make great use of the flowers to perfume 

 their teas, and that the scent they impart is more abiding than 

 that of any of the flowers employed for the purpose. The plant 

 is much cultivated in the Calcutta gardens, but is always con- 

 sidered choice and valuable from the great difficulty experienced 

 in propagating it; layers are so long in striking that it is 

 commonly full a twelvemonth before they are ready for removal. 

 Mr. Boss, however, late head-gardener of the Calcutta Botanical 

 Gardens, has stated * that the better way is to strike cuttings in 

 sand under a hand-glass, and that with careful shading and 

 judicious watering young plants may be thus obtained, with 

 tolerable certainty, within a much shorter time. Mr. Errington, 

 however, head-gardener of the Agri-Horticultural Society, assured 

 me that a very large proportion of plants so raised and potted off 

 perished during the succeeding Hot season. Dr. Voight mentions 

 a variety with red flowers ; this I have never seen nor heard of. 



2. 0. grata. A neat-looking shrub, in character of foliage 

 hardly to be distinguished from the last, but far more thriving, 

 and therefore more ornamental. The flowers possess no fra- 

 grance whatever. 



3. 0. myrtifolia. An exceedingly agreeable and chaste-looking 

 shrub, in habit, character, flower, and scent of the flower so 

 much resembling the Privet of the English gardens, that it 

 might be very readily mistaken for it ; in blossom during most 

 of the Cold season. 



4. 0. Capensis. Likewise a pleasing shrub, very similar to 

 the last, but not blossoming, as Dr. Voigt states, in the locality 

 of Calcutta. 



Osmanthus. 



0. ilicifolius. Lately introduced, and described as a very 

 elegant evergreen Japanese shrub, with holly-like leaves. 



Syringa. 



5. vulgaris THE LILAC. I have never heard of the existence 



* In a communication to the 'Journal of the Agri-Hort. Society.' 



2 K 2 



