270 



DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHRUBS 



veiny, deciduous leaves. These are the only species which can be culti- 

 vated north to Massachusetts, and even these need protection. [Seeds.] 



Nerium. The Oleanders have been very popular in the past as tub 

 plants North and hardy plants in the extreme South. They are so well 

 known that a full description is scarcely necessary. The leaves are ever- 

 green, long, slender, entire, opposite or in whorls of 3's or 4's. The 



Fig. 467. — Two-winged Silver Bell. 



Fig. 468. — Sweet-leaf. 



flowers are salver-shaped, an inch or more broad and often double, bloom- 

 ing through the whole summer. There are many colors, white, light 

 pink, dark pink, scarlet, and buff. When grown outdoors, they reach the 

 height of 15 feet. The difficulty in their culture is due to scale insects 

 which prefer Oleanders to almost any other plants. The common Ole- 

 ander (461) — Nerium Oleander — is without odor to the flowers. There 

 is Sweet-scented Oleander (462) — Nerium od5rum, — which does not 

 grow so tall. [Twig cuttings.] 



Styrax. This is a large group, 70 species, of mainly tropic trees 

 and shrubs. A few are both hardy and beautiful enougli to be in cultiva- 

 tion in the United States. T'here are several wild American species. 

 The first three below are hardy, if somewhat protected, north to Massa- 

 chusetts ; the fourth, to Philadelphia ; the last, only South, They all 

 have alternate simple usually notched leaves, and clustered drooping some- 



