296 



Garden and Forest. 



[June 18, 1890. 



reason, while the 'other quickly volunteered the supposed ex- 

 planation that it must have been caused by a fire. 



Upon a careful study of the subject it was found that the 

 brown, curled and dead leaves had been attacked by a fungus 

 of the genus Gliosporium. In the worse eases the whole 

 leaf was brown, bid in many others only a portion had been 

 killed, and of the latter the injured areas were along the main 

 veins in the centre. In other words, the fungus is most active 

 near the centre veins, including the midrib of the leaf, and 

 spore-bearing pustules are usually situated in quite uniform 

 rows, one upon each side of the vein. This is different from 

 any other species of Gliosporium, which prefer the soft parts of 

 the leaf and bear the minute blisters or spore patches midway 

 between the portions of the leaf's framework. 



This blight upon the Oak proves to be Gliosporium nervise- 

 quiun, and is therefore the same as the one that has proved 

 very destructive to the Sycamore or Button Wood (Platanus 

 occidentalis) — in fact, this blight was so violent upon the latter 

 host that it has received Consideration in the Journal of 

 Mycology. In this it is stated by Miss Southworth that "in 

 some cases trees have been killed outright by the disease and 

 in many the growth of the early part of the year has been 

 completely destroyed. . . . Sometimes the young unlignified 

 stem was attacked at some distance from the end." Also that 

 in early spring "the external leaves of the unfolded buds 

 showed the disease as soon as they were half out and many 

 buds died before they were fairly open." It would seem from 

 this that the blight fungus remains through the winter in the 

 substance of the bud, but possibly only as spores lodged in 

 the folds of the bud, which quickly germinate as the bud be- 

 gins to unfold in the spring. However this may be, the proba- 

 bilities are that an Oak-tree once attacked will continue to suf- 

 fer from year to year and therefore if certain trees show the 

 blight conspicuously it would be wise to mark such for the axe. 



This note is written for two purposes: first, to answer the 

 question quite sure to be raised, namely: What is the matter 

 with the "scorched" Oak-trees? and secondly, to point out 

 that the enemy has proved a dangerous one to the Sycamore 

 in many parts of the country, and therefore the affected Oaks, 

 other things being equal, should be the first to fall before the 

 axe, that the further spread of the destructive disease may be 

 checked. It would be interesting to learn how widespread 

 this trouble is the present season. 

 Rutgers College, N. J. Byron D. Halsted. 



New or Little Known Plants. 



Symphoricarpos occidentalis.* 



THE North American genus Symphoricarpos is well 

 known in gardens, where two of the species are cul- 

 tivated as often, perhaps, as any of our native shrubs. 

 These are the Snowberry (S. racemosus), which is valued 

 for the snow-white berries which cluster along the branches, 

 making a striking appearance in autumn and early winter; 

 and the Coral-berry, or Indian Currant, as it is sometimes 

 called (S. vulgaris), which is planted for the small dark red 

 fruit which covers the branches in autumn. The flowers 

 of these two plants, as well as of the other species of the 

 genus, are small and not particularly conspicuous. Four 

 or five species, in addition to the two generally cultivated, 

 are found principally in the western and south-western parts 

 of the United States and in Mexico. Little is known of these 

 plants in gardens, although S. occidentalis, of which a figure 

 from a drawing made by Mr. Faxon from the cultivated plant 

 is published on page 297, has been grown for several years 

 in the Arnold Arboretum. 



Symphoricarpos occidentalis, like S. racemosus and 6". vul- 

 garis, belongs to Gray's first section, distinguished by the 

 short and urceolate or campanulate corolla, generally less 

 than a quarter of an inch long. It is a slender, graceful 

 shrub, growing to a height of two or three feet, with rather 

 stout terete stems covered with light brown bark. The 

 leaves are oval or oblong, usually pointed and minutely 

 apiculate at the apex, with entire or slightly sinuate mar- 

 gins. They are sometimes two or two and a half inches 

 long and two inches broad, or often smaller, prominently 

 reticulate veined, rather thick and leathery at maturity, and 

 dull green on the upper, and pale on the lower surface, 



which is hairy along the mid-rib and primary veins. The 

 axillary flower-clusters are sessile or nearly so, or are 

 sometimes produced on stems an inch or more long, be- 

 coming spicate. The pedicels and calyx are minutely 

 pubcrulous. The corolla is deeply five-cleft, pale rosy 

 pink, densely villous hirsute with long hairs on the inner 

 surface, and rather shorter than the stamens and style. 

 The fruit is a quarter of an inch in diameter and pale 

 greenish white at maturity. 



Symphoricarpos occidentalis inhabits rocky, wooded 

 banks from Michigan to the mountains of Colorado and 

 Montana, extending far northward, where it was discov- 

 ered by Richardson on the Franklin Relief Expedition. 



It is the fruit alone which makes Symphoricarpos valua- 

 ble as a garden plant, and as the fruit of this species is less 

 beautiful than the larger and more clearly colored fruit of 

 the Snowberry, it is not probable that it will ever supplant 

 that species in popular estimation. Shrubs, however, 

 which are hardy in this climate, and produce fruit which is 

 showy in the late autumn, are not too abundant, and the 

 Wolfberry, as this species is called in the Floras, makes an 

 interesting addition to the list. 



The plants in the Arboretum were raised from seed sent 

 many years ago from Colorado by Mr. T. S. Brandegee. 

 They are perfectly hardy, and receive no special care or 

 cultivation, and produce seed every year. C. S. S. 



Plant Note. 

 Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 



'THE issue of the Gardeners' Chronicle published on the 17th 

 ■*■ of May was largely devoted to hardy trees and shrubs with 

 showy flowers, the subject of the discussion at the meeting 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society held in London the pre- 

 vious week. It contained a figure of Primus Pseudo- 

 Cerasus, a Japanese tree, much cultivated in Japan, where 

 innumerable double-flowered varieties have been produced. 

 It is a small hardy tree, with clusters of large white flowers 

 flushed with pink. It is sometimes known in gardens as 

 Primus Sieboldii. Prunus Wateri, a double pink-flowered 

 variety, is one of the handsomest of the forms of this tree 

 known in our gardens, and certainly one of the most beautiful 

 early spring-flowering trees in cultivation. Zenobia, or, as we 

 call it in this country, Andromeda speciosa, is also figured. It 

 is the most beautiful plant of its class, and, although rarely 

 seen in American gardens, one of the very best shrubs in cul- 

 tivation. In spite of the fact that it is a native of the warm 

 coast region from North Carolina southward, it is perfectly 

 hardy as far north as New England. There are figures, too, 

 of Exochorda grandiflora, and of Magnolia stellata, the dwarf 

 Japanese shrub often found in our gardens under the incor- 

 rect name of Magnolia Hallii. This last is a very hardy and 

 free-flowering plant, which only needs to be better known to 

 earn the position in popular favor which its great merit de- 

 serves. Berberis stenophylla is also figured, and so are the 

 European Amelanchier and Olearia Gunniana. The first is a 

 very pretty hybrid between two South American species — 

 B. Darwitti and B. empetrifolia. It is a plant of neat habit, 

 with small dark green leaves and brilliant golden colored 

 flowers; not always perfectly hardy in the northern part of this 

 country, although it will flower here if the branches are 

 slightly protected during winter. Olearia Gunniana is one of 

 the Composite: from Tasmania, with pretty Aster-like white 

 flowers, which are often seen in the early spring in London 

 gardens,.but here, like other Antipodean plants, it will not 

 thrive when exposed to the vicissitudes of the climate of 

 eastern America. 



*I.— Hooker, " Fl N. Am.," i., 28 

 "Syn. Fl.," ed. 2, 13. 



Torrey & Gray, "Fl. N. Am.," ii., 4. Gray, 



Cultural Department. 



Raspberries. 



TO ASPBERRY culture has attained such proportions that it 

 -T^- is probably foremost among small fruits, both for home 

 and for market use. The improvement in varieties was not de- 

 fined and satisfactory until we secured the Cuthbert. But 

 earlier sorts were in some respects superior to this standard. 

 The Philadelphia was an enormous bearer and entirely hardy ; 

 but its color was a dull purplish red, and its quality, though 

 excellent, not so good as that of several others. The Turner 



