Ornamental Foreign Shrubs. 7 
ORNAMENTAL FOREIGN SHRUBS. 
Among foreign varieties of shrubbery that have proved well 
adapted to culture in Southern California, the following species 
seem worthy of special and more extended attention than they 
have yet received. 
The Chinese Rice-paper Tree (Aralia papyrifera), a native of 
the shady swamps of Formosa, is always a handsome plant by 
reason of its magnificent ricinus-like foliage. The so-called rice- 
paper of China and Japan is made from the pith ofthe stem. The 
plant delights ina partially shaded and moist situation, and 
when in bloom is greatly admired by every one. As yet this 
species has only received attention in this country as an orna- 
mental greenhouse plant; adapted to out-door culture in southern 
Florida and California, and it may ultimately be of economic value. 
Magnolia exoniensis is a splendid flowering shrub from China, 
similar to the evergreen Magnolia of the southern United States. 
It bears magnificent, large, white flowers when but a foot high. 
The Pride of India (Melia Azedarach), a native of southern 
Asia, and Australia, is an important avenue tree, valuable be- 
cause of its ability to withstand sterility of soil and a dry climate. 
It produces an abundance of fragrant flowers, which may perhaps 
be worth distilling for its essential oil. Although deciduous, it 
retains its foliage late in the season. The tree is also known as 
the Pride of China, China berry tree, and, in this country is 
perhaps best known as the Texas Umbrella tree, since it was first 
grown in this country in Texas, and because of its broad spreading 
top—a characteristic well shown in the accompanying illustration. 
Grevillea robusta, a beautiful tree for the lawn or sidewalk, is 
a native of Australia, of rapid growth, and attains a hight of one 
hundred and fifty feet. It resists drouth in a remarkable degree. 
The rich golden yellow trusses of flowers add not a little to its 
attractiveness—a feature fully appreciated by the busy bee and 
the more brilliant hummer. In the east it is greatly prized as a 
greenhouse pot plant because of its fern-like foliage and sym- 
metrical and graceful habit of growth. 
The flowering crab apple(Pyrus Parkmanni) makes a beautiful 
tree, and the flowers when open droop on slender stems in grace- 
ful clusters like the cherry. The buds are a deep carnation, the 
flowers semi-double. The rose crab is now generally catalogued 
