462 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 509. 



a single Chinese sixty years ago, but now there are many set- 

 tlements and the forests are disappearing. 



There does not seem to be one Frenchman in the 

 northern part of Indo-China interested in botany, and this 

 is a great pity, as the mountainous part of their territory is 

 finely forested and rich in plants, and French officers, civil and 

 military, are scattered everywhere in isolated posts. The 

 botanical source of some of their interesting products is quite 

 uncertain. For example, the Cassia-bark which is cultivated 

 in the Chinese province of Kwangsi and reaches foreign coun- 

 tries by way of Pakhoi and Canton, is undoubtedly the product 

 of Cinnamomum Cassia, but from Annam there is a very large 

 export of so-called cinnamon, which is a different thing, and 

 the tree yielding it is unknown. Another curious export hap- 

 pens to be known, as specimens were found in China. This 

 is what the French call "faux gambier." It is the root of a 

 wild Yam (Dioscorea rhipogonoides), and is much used by the 

 Chinese in dyeing. 



I forgot to mention in regard to cinnamon that the Chinese 

 give fabulous prices for certain varieties which occur in the 

 mountains of Tongking — as much as 550.00 for two pieces of 

 bark fifteen inches long and four inches wide, to give a con- 

 crete example. Such bark is supposed to cure all diseases. It 

 would be very interesting if some French official on the spot 

 would collect botanical specimens of the trees, the bark of 

 which has such a commercial value. 



Travelers and residents in foreign countries are always pos- 

 sessed with the idea that anything with a common general 

 name is thoroughly known to science; and we are still in the 

 dark in consequence in regard to the sources of certain kinds 

 of rhubarb, cinnamon, indigo, textile fibres, etc. 



As an example of the interest in cultivated and useful plants 

 I may cite the Sweet Potato. This is cultivated largely in 

 China, and is unquestionably an introduction from America. 

 But the plant cultivated in central China and in Yunan is 

 Ipomcea fastigiata, and not the common form of I. Batatas. 

 Mr. Hemsley is of opinion that the latter is only a cultivated 

 variety of the former species, which is known in the wild state. 



New or Little-known Plants. 



Primus Pseudo-cerasus. 



THIS is a native of eastern Asia, where it is widely 

 spread from Japan to central China, Saghalin and 

 Manchuria, and is a noble tree in the forests of Yezo. There 

 is still much confusion with regard to the Asiatic Cherries 

 of this group, and whether the wild single-flowered tree 

 which is figured on page 463 of this issue from specimens 

 gathered in the forests near Sapparo is really the plant de- 

 scribed by Lindley as Prunus Pseudo-cerasus or not we are 

 unable to determine, as some of the numerous double and 

 single flowered varieties cultivated by the Japanese are 

 possibly derived from still little-known allied Chinese spe- 

 cies. Under whatever name, however, it should be known 

 by, this Cherry of northern Japan promises, as has lately 

 been stated in these columns, to become a valuable orna- 

 mental tree in the north Atlantic states. 



It is a glabrous tree, growing in the forests of Japan 

 seventy or eighty feet in height, with a trunk frequently 

 three feet in diameter, covered while young, like the 

 branches, with lustrous light red-brown bark, oblong ellip- 

 tical or obovate coarsely serrate leaves abruptly contracted 

 at the apex into long points, corymbose white flowers from 

 a quarter to a half of an inch in diameter, opening with the 

 unfolding leaves, and small pea-shaped fruits with thin flesh. 



Very conspicuous in early spring when covered with its 

 abundant flowers, Prunus Pseudo-cerasus is also conspicu- 

 ous and very beautiful in the autumn when the leaves turn 

 dark red. The wood of this tree is highly esteemed in 

 Japan, where it is largely used principally for carving and 

 for blocks used in printing cloth and wall paper. 



In the Arnold Arboretum young trees of this Cherry are 

 in perfect health and are growing rapidly, and, although 

 they have not flowered yet, they show in autumn the 

 splendid leaf color which is one of the great attractions of 

 the Japanese forest at this season of the year, just before 

 the Maples, which change color a little later, light them up 

 with more brilliant shades of scarlet. 



Foreign Correspondence. 



London Letter. 



Nerines. — The genus Nerine has been a favorite green- 

 house plant for flowering in late autumn from the earliest 

 times, and one species, N. sarniensis, which is grown in 

 large quantities by the Dutch and other bulb growers, is 

 distributed when dry in the same manner as Hyacinths, 

 Tulips, etc. There are fifteen species, according to Mr. 

 Baker, and some of these have been crossed with each other 

 by Dean Herbert, Max Leichtlin, Moore, O'Brien, Mansell 

 and others, so that we now have a large number of seed- 

 lings and crosses of more or less horticultural value. Mr. 

 Elvves has recently been at work upon the genus 

 with a view of obtaining late-flowering varieties, for in- 

 stance, such as might be had in December. There is no 

 reason why, in the course of time, this should not be 

 accomplished. Meanwhile, he has got together a large 

 collection of sorts in his garden at Colesbourne, and the 

 group he exhibited at the last meeting of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society showed that he is a master in the art of 

 growing and flowering these plants. In addition to the older 

 standard sorts he exhibited a number of new seedlings, 

 eight of which received certificates. They are all named 

 in compliment to some lady, such as Lady Lawrence, Lady 

 Bromley, etc. Mr. Elwes has evidently worked principally 

 with the various forms of N. sarniensis, which include 

 those known in gardens as Plantii, venusta, corusca and 

 rosea. These, with N. curvifolia and its variety, Fother- 

 gillii, are the best of the genus in point of color, vigor, etc. 

 This habit of growing in winter and resting in summer 

 makes the cultivation of Nerines somewhat difficult in 

 localities where sunlight, so essential to good growth, is 

 obscured by fogs and general murkiness, as, for instance, 

 at Kew ; but where these are not experienced they maybe 

 grown as easily as Daffodils. They require liberal treat- 

 ment while growing, say from October to April, to be 

 followed by absolute rest induced by drought and exposure 

 to air and bright sunshine until the flower-spikes show 

 in September. 



Protea cynaroides, var. elliptica. — This is a dwarf shrub 

 compared with the type, of which an illustration, prepared 

 from a plant grown at Kew, was given in Garden and 

 Forest (vol. viii., p. 34). A plant of the former is now flower- 

 ing freely in the Cape house at this establishment ; it is a 

 yard high, freely branched, and each branch is terminated 

 by a flower or bud, or rather flower-head, measuring eight 

 inches in diameter and composed of a cup-like whorl of 

 stiff, pointed, lanceolate, petaloid bracts colored flesh-pink, 

 the whole of the centre being occupied by a cushion-like 

 mass of stamens, which are united, except round the mar- 

 gin. For a cool house, such as suits Cape Heaths, this is 

 a commendable shrub, as it flowers freely when small, 

 while the flowers are not only exceptionally attractive in 

 size, form and color, but they have the merit of lasting six 

 or eight weeks or even longer. The Kew plant was raised 

 from seeds sown in 1S90, and it first flowered two years 

 ago. I can recommend the genus Protea as worthy the 

 attention of horticulturists in such states as California. 



Lonicera Hildebrandiana. — It is nearly four years since 

 this plant was introduced to Kew from Burma, but we have 

 not succeeded in flowering it yet, although it grows most 

 vigorously in the varying conditions under which it is 

 being tested. It was discovered in Upper Burma by Gen- 

 eral Sir Henry Collett nine years ago, who described it as 

 "a conspicuous shrub with large, dark glossy leaves and 

 fine crimson flowers seven inches long." At Kew it is a 

 stout climber with stems twenty feet long and ovate leaves 

 six inches by four inches. It is not hardy, but grows 

 freely in the Winter Garden. Meanwhile, Mr. Hildebrand 

 wrote from Burma in April last, " I am sorry that you are 

 unable to flower the large Honeysuckle. It is a sight to 

 behold just now in my garden and surprises the densest 

 observer in horticultural matters. It is a mass of 



