September 16, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



373 



they change hygroscopically. Quite similar in the action 

 of its fruit is the Porcupine Grass, Stipa spartea, with a 

 sharp, speai'-like seed and long twisted awn, which, like a 

 lever, gains some vantage-point to push against, and, as it 

 twists and turns, crowds the sharp-pointed, barbed seed into 

 the ground. 



The most abundant trees are the Black Oak, the White 

 Pine and the Banksian Pine. Together they constitute 

 nine-tenths of the arboreous growth on the higher hills. 

 The White Pine, being subject to the strong winds, de- 

 velops a short, stout trunk, sometimes reaching a diameter 

 of two and a half feet. The branches come low down and 

 form an oblong or roundish top. In places where they are 

 most crowded or better sheltered they make longer trunks, 

 but these are usually small and the trees of comparatively 

 low stature. The Banksian Pine is scattered about every- 

 where, but does not form the dense groves and nearly 

 exclusive growth by which it characterizes some of the 

 lower sand ridges or more level areas. The Black Oak, 

 Quercus velutina, is almost the sole occupant of many 

 places, for it more easily survives the fires which sweep 

 over the forest-land and destroy the resinous Pines. If the 

 trunk is killed or the trees are cut down for wood, the 

 younger and more vigorous soon form a coppice and 

 reclothe the ground. The acorns, easily buried in the 

 sand, often sprout abundantly in a wettish season. The 

 White Oak, Q. alba, is next to it in frequency, and forms a 

 low, stout tree. The Bur Oak is seen in limited numbers, 

 and occasionally the Red Oak. The Scarlet Oak may also 

 be present, but I do not find satisfactory evidence of it, 

 though it is naturally looked for on such sandy land. But 

 the representatives of the Black Oak group of Oaks in this 

 vicinity are so exceedingly variable, and approach each 

 other by so many gradations of character, that it would be 

 rash to pronounce definitely upon such a point. 



The common Basswood seems quite out of place with 

 such an environment. When present it is generally estab- 

 lished on sheltered slopes or in narrow ravine-like depres- 

 sions left among the hills, but I have seen it forming 

 clumps of bushes in the midst of the Sea-sand Reed and 

 Bailey's Cornel on top of a high dune, which the wind was 

 slowly removing. The Cottonwood, the most common 

 tree, and the first to establish itself on the lower sand 

 reaches close by the beach, also gains a footing on the 

 h'ills. Populus tremuloides and P. grandidentata likewise 

 have representatives. The Buttonwood is occasionally 

 seen, very queerly placed, with its pale trunk rising up 

 from the midst of a clump of Juniper, and with the Gray 

 Pine for a near neighbor. The Red Cedar must be added 

 to the coniferous flora, small, but usually picturesque trees 

 when, scarred and torn by the wind, they cling to the top- 

 most edges of a disappearing dune, sturdily holding the 

 outposts. 



Among small trees we note Cornus florida and the Sas- 

 safras, the latter more frequently a shrub. Either as a 

 diminutive tree or shrub the Choke-cherry is quite abun- 

 dant, very beautiful in spring when mantled in white blos- 

 soms, and equally engaging in summer when loaded with 

 clusters of dark crimson drupes, for it fruits very copiously 

 on these sand hills. Sometimes the Juneberry, Amelanchier 

 Canadensis, grows with it, adding its white blossoms in 

 spring and red or purple fruit in early summer, a tree or 

 shrub of similar habit. 



Chicago, 111. ■&■ J- "I"- 



Nelumbo lutea, the Water Chinquapin. 



THE illustration on page 375 shows a colony of the 

 American Nelumbo, or Water Chinquapin, which has 

 been naturalized in a pond in the town of Lynnfield, Mas- 

 sachusetts, some fourteen miles from Boston, and shows 

 what unassisted nature can do in the way of aquatic gar- 

 dening. It seems that the colony was started some twenty 

 years since by a Mr. Silver, who was visiting a friend living 

 on the shore of the lake. Plants of both the Nelumbo 

 nucifera (speciosa) and N. lutea were used, but the exotic 



plant soon disappeared. It did not even survive the first 

 hard winter, very likely because it had been planted too 

 close to the shore. 



The group of Nelumbo now extends along the shore of 

 the lake some two hundred and fifty feet and into the lake 

 some one hundred feet, and is increasing very rapidly. The 

 plants do not bloom with regularity every year, and such 

 blooms as do appear are rarely allowed to perfect them- 

 selves, owing to the ravages of bicycle-riders and other 

 visitors. 



Although this plant is not as interesting as the so-called 

 Egyptian Lotus in some respects, yet in many ways it is 

 a most desirable aquatic for ornamental use, and its broad 

 handsome foliage is particularly effective, with its rich 

 bluish tinge of color contrasting so well with the light 

 green under side when disturbed by the breeze. Estab- 

 lished clumps are a study for their foliage alone. The 

 wide floating leaves completely cover the surface of the 

 water, serving to emphasize the stately effect of those 

 that are held above the surface by their longer and 

 stouter stems, while the curious unfolding of the young 

 foliage and the opening buds on their sturdy stalks all unite to 

 give an effect not to be found in any other native American 

 plant. The flower-buds stand eighteen to thirty inches 

 above the surface of the pond on sturdy clean stems, and 

 quickly changing from a light green to a rich clear yellow 

 when unfolded. The fully extended flowers are from seven 

 to ten inches across, making a rich contrast with the light 

 bluish green, velvety foliage. No native flower excels them 

 in size except those of the Magnolia macrophylla. 



No question can be entertained of the hardiness of the 

 plant, and it should prove of high value in ornamental 

 aquatic planting. It ought to thrive wherever the Egyptian 

 Lotus will, and the yellow flowers mingled with the pink 

 ones of the Sacred Bean, as the Asiatic species is often 

 called, would make a pleasing picture. The newer Japa- 

 nese forms, such as the pure white Shiroman, would lend 

 additional charm to such a group. 



This group seems to have been overlooked by most of 

 the local botanists, and has been comparatively unknown 

 up to the present time except to a few, and this furnishes a 

 reason, perhaps, why the clump has increased to its present 

 proportions, as otherwise it would probably have been 

 sadly torn and depleted before this. 

 Reading, Mass. /■ Woodward Manning. 



[We have already given an illustration of a pond in 

 southern Illinois covered with our native Nelumbo (see 

 vol. iv. , p. 556), and we give this second picture for the 

 purpose of calling more direct attention to this neglected 

 plant. It is by no means rare, being common all through 

 the Mississippi basin and on the border of the Great Lakes, 

 although it is comparatively rare in the east, where it was 

 probably introduced by the Indians, who are said to have 

 used it as an article of food. So far as we know, the only 

 other locality where it is known to exist in Massachusetts 

 is at Osterville, where it was found a few years ago by 

 Professor Farlow. The fact that it is hardy so far to the 

 north and east, and that it becomes easily naturalized, ought 

 to encourage planters to make more use of it, and to stim- 

 ulate hybridizers to experiment with it as the parent of new 

 varieties. Mr. William Tricker writes that it seems to be 

 more difficult to establish than the Asiatic species, although 

 he has seen it in splendid condition and growing more 

 freely than its relative. An amateur aquatic gardener, near 

 Little Falls, New Jersey, planted some seed in the regular 

 way and set them later with other aquatics in a pond w : 

 bottom was hard clay. The plants grew rapidly and bore 

 freely the second year, their splendid flowers, with shell- 

 shaped petals, of as pure a yellow as those oi Xympluea 

 sulphurea. They ripened tubers not extra-large, but solid 

 and sound, and these started well when planted out the 

 next spring. Perhaps the soil may be an important factor 

 in success with these plants, since Nymphaeas, Nelumbi- 

 ums and most other aquatics flourish best when the soil is 

 rather stiff. Upon the whole, there seems to he no : 



