

CL'LT/ VAT/ON AXV AXALTS/S O/' PLAXTS. 



commercial value, yielding the well-known tonic and antiseptic drug, calumba. The M. Canadense pos- 

 sesses the same properties, but in an inferior degree. It is, however, grown in this counti-v mainly tor it^ 

 ornamental flowers, fruit and leaf. 



Wistaria Sinensis, or Chinese Wistaria, is a rapid-growing twiner of superb appearance in leaf and 

 flower. The flowers come in long racemes like the Lupine inverted, but larger and more waxy in texture. 

 while in color they resemble the Lilac, which, however, they surpass in the delicate tintings, often pro- 

 gressing through the various shades from a deep blue to a pearly white. There are many varieties of the 

 Wistaria, but none superior to the W. .Sinensis. Their size forbids their adoption as indoor plants unless 

 in large conservatories. 



Phaseolns mnltiflorus, or Scarlet Runner — sometimes called Spanish Bean — though most fre- 

 quently cultivated as a vegetable, for the pod and the inclosed bean, is not to lie despised as an ornamental 

 indoor or outdoor twiner. It sends out long racemes of bright scarlet, butterfly-shaped flowers, which, 

 contrasting with the green foliage around, produces a very pleasing eftect. Many people grow it because 

 of its artistic beauties, elevating it from the kitchen garden to the parlor window. 



Adlnmia cirrhosa, or Fringed Adlumia, is one of the most beautiful and hard}' of twining plants. 

 It climbs by its leafstalks, which serve the purpose of tendrils, and grows to a height of ten or twelve 

 feet in a season. The flowers come in delicate flesh-colored panicles, and succeed each other all summer. 



Jasniinum otticinale, or White Jasmine, is already described, page 175. 



Hlliuulus Inpulns, or common Hop, page 162. 



Periploca Grieca, (literally Greek twiner), or Silk Vine, is a hardy, orn;nuent:il twiner, common 

 throughout our northern States and worthy of attention. 



CREEPERS. 

 This chiss of plants is distinguished by the property of clintfing by the rootlet-Hke 

 shoots, or sucker-like attachments, which it sends out at convenient distances, for catching- 

 hold of the wall or other surface or support along which it creeps. 



Hedera Helix, or English Ivy, is perhaps the choicest of all creeping plants, and has been immor- 

 talized in prose and verse, Charles Dickens's almost unique contribution to poetic literature, "The Ivv 

 Green," being forevermore associated with its beauties. The permanency as well as the deep, glossy, 

 green color of the leaves makes it a universal favorite. Its hardy qualities render it fit for cultivation 

 almost e\ery where; and it needs more protection from heat than it does from cold. It thri\es best in the 

 United States when planted to the north of a house, fence, or other shade. A good way to save outdoor 

 Ivies in winter is to lay them down carefully along the ground, and cover with sods in their natural posi- 

 tion, grass upward. Indoors, the English Ivy should be kept clean and shielded from an excessively dry 

 heat. In ordinary living rooms, a daily damping of the leaves will prove sufficient. (See p. 174.) 



Ampelopsis Veitchii, or Veitch's Creeper, a distinct species introduced from Japan by the florist 

 Veitch of London, is of the same genus with the A. quinquefolia, the common American or Virginia 

 Creeper, but difters much in the manner of growth, the structure of the leaves, and other peculiarities. 

 Its young shoots are of a rich, brown purple, and its leaves are rounded and simple, while the flower is 

 inconspicuous. A peculiarity of the Veitch's Creeper that should strongly recommend it to a more 

 general acceptance, is its habit of attaching itself, without aid from its owner or mechanical contrivance 

 of any kind, to whatever object is near; the young stems send out sucker-like attachments by which they 

 cling to wood, stone, or indeed to any substance, however smooth. Another attractive feature of this 

 Creeper is the crimson-purple coloring of its rather persistent foliage, which clings to the branches often 

 until midwinter in .sheltered places, presenting an appearance almost as bright and beautiful as if the 

 leaves were so many flowers. 



Ampelopsis qilinqnefolia, already alluded to, has five leaflets with serrate edges on a common 

 stalk, curling gracefully downward, and is so familiar, under the name of Virginia Creeper, as to need no 

 further explanation. 



Tecouia radieans, or Trumpet-flower, has been described, page 304. 





