NEW TREES AND SHRUBS 173 



finally blue. The wood is valuable and the young 

 shoots with half -grown leaves are eaten as a vegetable 

 by the Chinese after the manner of spinach. 



The Chinese Hogplum (Spondias axillaris) is an- 

 other drought-resistant tree worthy of extended cul- 

 tivation. It grows from forty-five to eighty feet tall 

 and has thick branches forming an oval or flattened 

 crown. The leaves are pinnately divided and the 

 oval to ellipsoid yellow fruit is edible but lacks flavor. 



In eastern and central China the people consider 

 Xylosma racemosum and its variety pubescens the 

 most beautiful of all their evergreen trees and apply 

 to it a name which signifies "Wintergreen." It is 

 commonly planted over shrines and graves and in 

 temple grounds, and has dark lustrous green leaves, 

 inconspicuous flowers, and black pea-like fruits. The 

 branching is dense and the crown wide-spreading, 

 oval, rounded, or flattened and the short inner 

 branches are spiny. 



A Chinese Poplar (Populus lasiocarpa) has larger 

 leaves than any other member of the genus. It is a 

 moisture-loving tree, rather sparsely branched, and 

 loosely pyramidal in outline and has bright green 

 heart-shaped pointed leaves, from ten to twelve inches 

 wide and more long, with the leafstalks, midrib, and 

 principal veins of a rich red hue. In the mild parts 



