5 66 



Garden and Forest. 



[November 19, 1890. 



lanuarv 2d, 1885. On November 30th, 1886, I found a single 

 plant in bud, and marked the place by breaking the top of a 

 bush by which it grew, and on December 9th, after three or 

 four cold days with the thermometer at about ten degrees, after 

 a three days' snow storm, I found it in blossom under more 

 than a foot of snow. 



Since then, having removed to Maiden, I have had a better 

 opportunity to watch the plants, and have found them in 

 llower eight months in succession. In 1889, October 20th, 

 November 12th, December 8th ; in 1890, January 2d, February 

 13th, March 30th, April 6th and 20th, May 4th and 7th. When I 

 found it in flower in October I thought it must be earlier than 

 the Epigrea, but a friend to whom I sent one of the flowers, in 

 acknowledging the receipt of it, writes: " My sister found on 

 the same day in early October the Epigsea and fringed Gen- 

 tian," so that I am still in doubt, as one of the plants which I 

 found on the 20th must have been in flower some days, the 

 petals having fallen from all the flowers but one. 



Since writing the above I have learned that the Epigaea was 

 found in flower near Williamstown about the 19th of Septem- 

 ber, 1878. 



Another of our early-flowering plants which has generally 

 been overlooked is the Ranunculus fascicularis. This was in 

 blossom in Middlesex Falls, November 10th and 12th and De- 

 cember 8th, 1889. . „ rT TT ., 7 . 



Maiden, Mass. E. H. HltcllingS. 



Recent Publications. 



Hooker's Tcones Plauiarum,vo\umex., part ii., September, 1890. 



This issue of Hooker's Icones is principally devoted to figures 

 of new Chinese plants, and is of unusual interest. Several of 

 the plants here first made known are important trees ; some 

 represent new generic types, while from the cultural point of 

 view many of them are of special interest to us, as it is more 

 than probable that the plants of western China will flourish in 

 the middle and perhaps northern states as well as in many 

 parts of central Europe. So far as hardy plants are concerned, 

 west central China is the only great field of enterprise which is 

 left unculled, and the collector who follows in Dr. Henry's 

 footsteps, with the view of introducing into cultivation the 

 plants of the mountain region of western China, will reap a 

 rich reward and perform a great service to horticulture. 



A mere enumeration of a few of the plants here figured will 

 serve to give an idea of the richness of this Chinese flora and 

 of the treasures which await the enterprising collector : Tilia 

 Titan (/. 1926) is a tree described as forty feet high, with ample 

 membranaceous leaves, covered on the lower surface with 

 white stellate tomentum. The bark is used in making shoes. 

 Tilia Henryana {t. 1927) is a tree described as thirty feet high, 

 with leaves smaller than those of the last, and covered on the 

 lower surface with fulvous pubescence. There is a third new 

 Linden, T. Oliverii, from the same region where the Japanese 

 T. Miqiieliana, already introduced into cultivation from Japan, 

 was also detected by Dr. Henry. 



Professor Oliver proposes a new genus, Tapiscia, for a tree 

 which he places provisionally in Sapindacece on account of the 

 copious albumen of the seed, the presence of conspicuous 

 stipules, and the resemblance of the leaves to those of 

 Euschapis and some other Staphylece, although the leaves are 

 alternate and the ovary is unilocular and uniovulate. Tapiscia 

 Sinensis (/. 1928), the only species, is a tree with leaves eight 

 to fifteen inches long, with three to five leaflets, sessile pani- 

 cles of small, regular, hermaphrodite flowers, and subglobose, 

 dry, indehiscent fruit. The generic name is an anagram of 

 Pistacia, which the dried specimens of this remarkable tree 

 suggested to Professor Oliver. 



Fraxinus platypoda [t, 1929), with curiously dilated petioles, 

 is a new Ash described as twenty feet high. Fraxinus retusa, 

 var. Henryana {t. 1930), is a form with broader leaflets of a 

 plant previously known from Hong-Kong. 



There is a new plant of the Witch-Hazel family, Sycopsis 

 Sinensis (t. 1931), a genus previously represented by a single 

 species collected many years ago in Khasia. Cephalotaxus 

 Griffithii [t. 1933), a species previously known from upper 

 Asam and Munnipore, is here first figured from Mr. Faber's 

 Chinese specimens. 



Schizophragma, a genus previously represented by a single 

 Japanese species now a familiar object in gardens, is enriched 

 by a second species discovered on Mount Omei by Mr. Faber, 

 for which Mr. Oliver proposes the name of Schizophragma in- 

 tegrifolia [t. 1934). It is distinguished from the Japanese plant 

 by its more coriaceous leaves, which are not cordate at the 

 base, and by the narrower petaloid calyx-limb of the abortive 

 ray-flowers, these being represented by the more conspicuous 



rudiment. A curious form of Fagus sylvatica, the old world 

 Beech-tree, characterized by very long leaf-stalks, is distin- 

 guished as var. longipes (t. 1936). In Menisperniacece there is 

 a new Cyclea, C. racemosa [t. 1938). Populus lasiocarpa (t. 1943), 

 described as a good timber-tree, is common on the mountains 

 at elevations of from four to six thousand feet. 



Two new Blackberries are described, Rubus malifolius 

 it. 1943) and R. simplex {t. 1948), and a remarkably anomalous 

 plant, for which a new genus of uncertain relationship, 

 Eucomia, is proposed. The fruit and general aspect of the 

 specimens suggested Ulmacea to Professor Oliver, but no 

 trace of perianth could be found in the flowers dissected from 

 the small axillary buds. The leaves are destitute of stipules, 

 and "in the cell of the fruit, which survives and includes the 

 solitary seed, there is always present a collateral or nearly col- 

 lateral pendulous abortive second ovule." This remarkable 

 tree, Eucomia ulmoides (I. 1950), which is cultivated in the dis- 

 tricts of Changyang and Patung, was not seen by Dr. Henry in 

 a wild state. It is of considerable commercial importance, 

 being highly esteemed by theChinese in their materia medica ; 

 and " the most singular feature about the plant is the extraordi- 

 nary abundance of an elastic gum in all the younger tissues, ex- 

 cepting perhaps the wood proper — in the bark (in the usual 

 sense of the word), the leaves, and petioles and pericarp ; any 

 of these snapped across and the parts drawn asunder exhibit 

 the silvery sheen of innumerable threads of this gum." The 

 bark, according to Dr. Henry's notes, "is the most valued 

 medicine of the Chinese, selling at from four to eight shillings 

 a pound. The tree is planted from the seeds and is cut down 

 in the third to the sixth Chinese month and stripped of its bark. 

 During the last twenty years the production seems to be 

 diminishing from Cheshuan, from which it chiefly comes, and 

 the price has increased four or five fold." 



A number of interesting and a few handsome Chinese her- 

 baceous plants are figured in this issue, which contains also 

 several new plants, with one new genus, Tisonia, in Bora- 

 ginece, from South Africa. 



Exhibitions. 

 The Boston Chrysanthemum Show. 



THE complaint has been general that this has been a trying 

 year for Chrysanthemums, and yet Boston never before 

 saw such a magnificent array of well-grown plants as those 

 displayed at the annual exhibition last week, and the cut 

 flowers, especially those grown by Mr. S. J. Colman, equaled 

 the plants in quality. The collection of flowers in vases, shown 

 by Galvin Brothers, but also grown by Mr. Colman, made a 

 noteworthy feature of the exhibition, showing the high decora- 

 tive value of these large Chrysanthemum flowers when pro- 

 perly arranged in large vases. 



The prize collection of twenty named plants was exhibited 

 by Mr. Walter Hunnevvell, and contained the following varieties, 

 all superb examples of the most intelligent cultivation : 

 Minnie Miller, Hon. John Welch, General Latimer, Empress 

 of Japan, Marvel, Needless, Sachem, Cullingfordii, William H. 

 Lincoln, Diana, Echantresse, Neesima, Mr. John Laing, Norum- 

 bega, F. McFadden, Kioto, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Lilian B. 

 Bird, Duchess and Robert Bottomley. 



The prize for a specimen plant of a Japanese variety was 

 also awarded to Mr. Hunnewell. The variety shown was Mrs. 

 Alpheus Hardy, and, even without considering the acknowl- 

 edged difficulty in growing this variety well, it was a splendid 

 plant. It stood five feet high in a twelve-inch pot, and at the 

 top measured five feet in diameter. The head was literally a 

 mass of snowy bloom, and each flower was of fine size, 

 form and substance. Other prizes for plants in pots were 

 awarded to Mrs. Francis B. Hayes, Dr. H. P. Wolcott, Nathan- 

 iel T. Kidder, Dr. C. G. Weld and the Bussey Institute. 



A rather pleasing feature in this department was the general 

 collection of plants from the Bussey Institute. Having been 

 allowed to grow pretty much as they pleased, and arranged 

 here with faultless taste, they showed that untrained plants 

 have for decorative work a utility and charm with which 

 formal specimens cannot compete. Two varieties, Source 

 d'Or and Minetto, were especially attractive in this group. The 

 former is a Japanese variety, with flowers of deep orange yel- 

 low tinged with bronze; the latter a pompone, in which the 

 flowers are of a soft amaranthine purple. In these a single 

 stem had been allowed to run up for some distance, and then 

 a head was formed in the way of a standard. The branches 

 were not trained in any way, and the weight of the flowers 

 caused them to droop gracefully in a cluster on one side, thus 

 forming a very pleasing picture. _ 



