394 Thymelacea Daphne. 



1. DAPHNE. 



Small erect or trailing shrubs with alternate or opposite 

 persistent or deciduous leaves and very fragrant lateral or 

 terminal flowers. Perianth tubular, 4-lobed. Stamens 8, in 2 

 series ; style short or none. Fruit coriaceous or fleshy. North 

 temperate regions of the Old World. Name of classical origin. 



Deciduous species, floivers lateral, appearing before the leaves. 



1. D. Mezereum. Mezereon. A small erect branched shrub 

 which produces its clusters of pink, rose or purplish, rarely white 

 flowers in Winter. Leaves membranous, 2 to 3 inches long, 

 lanceolate, obtuse or acute, shortly petiolate. Occasionally seen 

 in copses in the South of England, but perhaps not indige- 

 nous. 



2. D. FortuneL This has lilac flowers, also appearing early 

 in Winter. China. 



Erect evergreen species with greenish-yelloiv axillary flowers. 



3. D. Laureola. Wood Laurel. A shrub 2 to 3 feet high. 

 Leaves coriaceous, 4 or 5 inches long, lanceolate, almost 

 sessile. Flowers in clusters in the axils of the upper leaves, 

 appearing in February. Native in England. 



4. D. Pontica. Very similar to the last, but differing in the 

 lighter green foliage, and deeper coloured flowers which appear 

 about a month later. It is a native of Asia Minor, and not 

 quite so hardy. Both of these, and also No. 1, are employed for 

 grafting the greenhouse and rarer varieties upon. 



Evergreen or deciduous trailing or erect species with 

 terminal flowers. 



5. D. alplna. An undershrub with lanceolate obovate 

 pubescent deciduous leaves and terminal sessile villose white 

 or rose flowers. A pretty species, suitable for rockwork. 

 Italian Alps. D. Dauphin of gardens is an improved variety 

 of this ; and D. Verloti, a charming little shrub with rosy car- 

 mine flowers, inhabiting the same localities, appears to be a 

 diminutive form of the same. 



6. D. colllna. An erect shrub 2 or 3 feet high. Leaves 

 oblong-obovate, obtuse, shining, glabrous above, hirsute 

 beneath, persistent. Flowers in clusters, villose, rose-coloured. 

 South of Europe. 



