January 27, 1892.] 



Garden and Forest. 



45 



and the profusion of its golden fruit in Octoljer, will render a 

 hedge of it very attractive. As a single specimen on a lawn it 

 is an object of rare beauty. 

 Raleish, N. c. IV. K Massey. 



[Citrus trifoliata produces flowers and fruit in sheltered 

 positions in the neighborhood of this city ; but it is not 

 sufficiently hardy in the northern Atlantic states to be used 

 successfully as a hedge-plant. In New England it is gener- 

 ally cut to the ground every winter, and does not flower. 

 It would be interesting to know in what part of the north- 

 west its hardiness has been proved. — Ed.] 



The Pin Oak (Quercus palustris) abounds here in its wild 

 state, and, whether wilder planted, it commands universal ad- 

 miration. The downward tendency of the lower tiers of 

 branches and the finely divided, shining green leaves give it 

 a distinct appearance among other Oaks, and its rapid growth 

 should commend it to all planters. One reason why the 

 various Maples are so largely used is that they can be 

 transplanted easily and successfully. It ought to be more 

 generally known that the Pin Oak may be transplanted with 

 just as much safety as the Maple. I have seen long avenues 

 planted with good-sized Pin Oaks without the loss of a single 

 tree. Those familiar with the roots of various Oaks know how 

 this species differs froni most other Oaks in this particular. 

 The Pin Oaks have a mass of fibrous roots instead of the few 

 prong-like roots of most other kinds. Practical planters make 

 all Oaks live by pruning them judiciously. The Pin Oak has 

 the advantage of needing but very little pruning, because its 

 numerous roots will carry it through even if the branches are 

 not shortened in. 

 Gerinaniown, Pa. Joseph Meehaii. 



Correspondence. 



The Senecios of the Canary Isles. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — I notice with pleasure in Number 192 of your journal 

 that Mr. Watson invites attention to the long-neglected Sene- 

 cios of the Canary Islands. In the spring of 1884 I had the 

 opportunity of admiring these charming Ifowers growing at 

 the feet of ancient Laurels in the gorges of the Canaries. This 

 archipelago is the true home of that class of Cinerarias or Sene- 

 cios, for which Webb proposed the new generic name, Peri- 

 callis. 



Inmy Specilegitim Canariense {s.ee Engle s Botanisches Jalir- 

 hilcher, 1887) I have enumerated half a score of different 

 forms, but the principal types of interest to us now are the 

 following : 



1. Senecio appendicularis (syn. S. populifolius) is dis- 

 tinguished by its leaves, which are deep green above and 

 of a cottony white color beneath, and resemble altogether the 

 leaves of the White Poplar. The corymbs are very dense, and 

 the flowers almost always white. 



2. S. Heratieri is a slender plant, almost rampant, with 

 few-flowered, often one-flowered corymbs, but with large, 

 bright rose-colored flowers. This is a plant of the mountain 

 of Teneriffe, growing at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, and 

 never attaining the slender, many-flowered habit shown in the 

 figure on page 509 in the above-mentioned number. It is a 

 plant long cultivated, but its native land is not, as Mr. Watson 

 states, the island of Madeira. It is peculiar to Teneriffe. The 

 only plant of this group found on Madeira (see the excellent 

 catalogue of the plants of Madeira by Monsieur E. Casson in 

 the Bull. Soc. France, 1868) is the S. Maderansis, which is 



1 akin to S. appendicularis, but still differs considerably from 

 i that species. 



3. S. Tussilaginus is- very common in shady places on 

 the Canary Islands ; it is slender, with firm branches and very 

 large leaves, and spreading corymbs composed of bright rose- 

 colored flowers. This plant is probably the parent of our 

 cultivated Cinerarias and of numerous varieties. The wild 

 type is very inconspicuous as compared with our greenhouse 

 Cinerarias. 



4. S. papyraceus is confined to the bay-woods of the He 

 de Palma, and is a very remarkable species, two feet to two 

 feet and a half high, with superb, dark, shining foliage, and 

 irregular corymbs composed of about a hundred flower-heads 



•: of a brilliant rose-carmine color. One must see this truly ad- 



i' mirable plant in order to realize how the resplendent flowers 



glow like fire in the deep, sombre shadows of Canarian trees 



like the Phoebe Barbrisana and Oreodaphore fcetans. ■ The 



plant, through its great beauty, has become the favorite flower 



of the inhabitants. Every child of Palma knows it by the 

 name Cima, and in Spain one often hears this refrain : 



Todas las flores se crian eii Mayo 

 Menos la Cima que 110 se hallo. 



This effective plant would be an acquisition, and it would 

 ripen its seeds readily in our cool greenhouses. 



S. S. cruentus is the loveliest of all the gems of this 

 beautiful genus. I could hardly express my pleasure and 

 surprise when I first noficed at a distance this superb 

 plant at the foot of old Perseas, above La Florida, at an altitude 

 of more than 5,000 feet. It is quite slender, fifteen to eighteen 

 inches high, with large radical, reniform leaves of a clear pur- 

 ple tint. Branches, leaves and all, even the hairy down of the 

 leaves, were of this color. It is altogether unique in its way, glit- 

 tering like a flame, and visible at a considerable distance. The 

 flowers have the same color, disposed in irregular corymbs, 

 which are small for the genus. This is a plant whose vegetative 

 parts have assumed a pure luminous color which properly be- 

 longs to the corolla only. What a welcome would it receive 

 in our gardens if it would always retain this color when 

 raised froTn seeds. But the seeds which germinated with 

 me at Bale produced both green and red plants, quite differ- 

 ent from their mother-plants. For all that, I do not doubt that 

 by a careful selection it is possible to obtain and maintain the 

 beautiful race tiiat exists on Teneriffe ; it is a plant f>y the side 

 of which Lobelia cardinalis seems really dull and insignificant. 



I am sure that nothing could be more interesting and meri- 

 torious than the propagation by means of seeds of these ad- 

 mirable Senecios in your gardens. In the southern states, in 

 Carolina, in Georgia, I am sure that they could live in the open 

 air, for on Teneriffe they are found at an altitude where it is 

 quite cold during the winter. There is nothing easier than to 

 obtain the seeds through the numerous inhabitants that take 

 interest in the flowers of their charming country. 



I mention only Mr. Wildpret, the gardener of a beautiful 

 garden of acclimatization in Orataba, W. Teneriffe, and Dr. 

 Perez, of the same place. I may add that just as Madeira has 

 only one species of these plants, the Azores also possess one 

 species in the very pretty S. malvsefolius, a rather large 

 plant with rich corymbs of bright crimson-colored flowers, 

 which I received through the kindness of Dr. Bruno Carreire, 

 of Ponta Delgoda, on the isle of St. Michel. 



The botanists who read this little article, the object of which 

 is to draw the attention to a series of plants, charming, but 

 much neglected, will find a complete enumeration of all the 

 forms and species in my Spccilegium Canariense, pages 

 147 to 149. 



We may venture to hope that, through the introduction of 

 natural forms of Senecio, we shall be able to obtain new and 

 remarkable hybrids to enrich the list of varieties that already 

 exist in our gardens. S. appendicularis is capable of producing 

 astonishing results, as its beautiful leaves are much whiter 

 beneath than those of any other plant I am acquainted with. 



Bale. H. Christ. 



Plants for the Sea-shore. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir,— With the ever-increasing summer exodus of sea-lovers 

 comes a demand at the dift'erent resorts, each succeeding sea- 

 son, for more pleasant and varied surroundings. In planfing 

 to any large extent along a shore large consideration must be 

 had for plants which have survived and flourished among 

 such unpropitious surroundings. In early August I made a 

 few observations on the flora of Barnegat Peninsula, and I 

 hope a record of them may invite attention to some of our 

 plants which flourish in sand, and in salt-laden breezes. 



Barnegat Peninsula, a strip of shifting beach, from a quarter 

 to half a mile wide, extending from Bayhead, New Jersey, to 

 Barnegat fnlet, is evidently of bar-formation. The long sandy 

 barrier grew in early times, and Barnegat Bay was closed 

 off from the ocean. It was instructive to observe the 

 efforts of Nature to clothe the sterile landscape with vegeta- 

 tion. The final attempt seemed to have been made here 

 under conditions very unfavorable to vegetal growth. The 

 salt-grasses and salt-water sedges apparently appeared first, 

 preparing the way for the reception of species more fastidious. 

 Some few plants seemed peculiarly adapted to such a hard 

 fare. The Bay berry, or Waxberry (Myrica cerifera), was singu- 

 larly attractive. It formed dense thickets, inhabited by the 

 mosquito and the shy cotton-tail rabbit. The leaves, when 

 rubbed, were aromatic, and the tough stems and twigs were 

 covered with waxy grayish white berries, which make the 

 plant valuable for ornamental uses on the sea-shore. The 



