44 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 153. 



while the same variety grown in the meantime from perfectly 

 ripened seed formed only 25.3 per cent, of cracked fruits. 

 Both strains were grown under equal conditions except in the 

 selection of the seed. In nearly all cases certain varieties are 

 more subject to cracking than others. A difference in the 

 elasticity or permeability of the epidermis, a difference in the 

 absorptive power of the flesh for water, or of the liability to 

 fungous attack, or of the tendency to ripen unequally, causes 

 certain varieties to resist much better than others the influ- 

 ences that tend to cracking. . 



University of Wisconsin, Madison. L. •->• (jOJJ. 



Lapagerias. 



'"THE several varieties of Lapageria rosea now in cultivation 

 ■*■ may be counted among the most beautiful of greenhouse 

 climbers, and deserving of the widest recognition. And not 

 only in the greenhouse does their naturally graceful habit 

 appear to advantage, but also in cut flower arrangements they 

 deserve a prominent place, for the flowers are not only of 

 good size but also of great substance and lasting qualities. 

 The original species, Lapageria rosea, was of Chilian origin, 

 and was first introduced to commerce by Messrs. Veitch, of 

 London, they having received it with several other noteworthy 

 plants about the year 1847 from that indefatigable collector, 

 William Lobb. 



Lapageria rosea may be described as an evergreen twining 

 plant, with dark green, cordate leaves, and pendulous, bell- 

 shaped flowers, the latter being produced from the axils of the 

 leaves along the upper portion of the shoots, and in the type 

 are of a dark rose color, the inner surface of the petals being 

 more or less mottled with a deeper color. Among the varia- 

 tions from the type that known as L. rosea sicperba is a very 

 good one, and is of somewhat stronger growth than the origi- 

 nal, and also has brighter flowers. Still another is that known 

 as the Nash Court variety, so called in honor of the establish- 

 ment in which it originated, and is somewhat similar to the 

 preceding, but claimed to be far superior in point of color and 

 also in floriferousness. 



But perhaps the most notable of all the varieties is the 

 white one, L. rosea alba, the flowers of which are fully as large 

 as the type, but are pure white in color. This does not appear 

 to grow as rapidly or as strongly as some of the other varie- 

 ties, at least when young, though after the plant becomes well 

 established there is but little difference. As before stated, the 

 Lapagerias are greenhouse (or cool-house) plants, and it is 

 therefore worse than useless to attempt to force them into 

 rapid growth by means of extra heat, as this will only result in 

 a fine crop of insects of various kinds and in ultimate failure. 

 It is therefore recommended that they be grown in a night 

 temperature of forty-five degrees, and be given abundant ven- 

 tilation whenever the weather will permit, and as the roots do 

 not like to be confined too closely, the most successful method 

 of growing Lapagerias is to plant them out in a bed prepared 

 for the purpose in the end of the house, the end least exposed 

 to direct sunlight being the best adapted to them. In the 

 preparation of the bed much care should be given to the drain- 

 age, this being a very essential point, for while these plants 

 enjoy copious waterings during the growing season, yet proper 

 provision should be made to allow all surplus water to escape. 

 The soil most suitable is largely composed of rough fibrous 

 peat, to which may be added not more than one-fourth the 

 quantity of coarse loam, and a moderate quantity of sand. 

 Some broken charcoal may be added to the mixture, and tends 

 to keep it fresh and sweet. The plant or plants may then be 

 planted out and trained up wires to and along the roof of the 

 house, a very pretty effect being gained by planting the white 

 and rose-colored varieties in the same bed, and allowing their 

 shoots to mingle on the roof of the house, each variety thus 

 used heightening the effect of the other. 



The propagation of Lapagerias is chiefly effected by layer- 

 ing and from seeds, the first being preferable where the 

 increase of a particular form is desired, as seedlings are liable 

 to vary. But either method requires some time for its 

 completion, as the seedlings usually take from three to four 

 years (and sometimes more) before they flower. Much 

 stronger plants are secured in the same period of time by lay- 

 ering, and therefore this is naturally the more popular plan. 

 Cuttings may be rooted occasionally, but this is always a long 

 process, and frequently a doubtful one, and as such is not to 

 be recommended. 



The Lapagerias are not specially subject to the attacks of 

 insects if they are grown in a proper temperature and thor- 

 oughly syringed every bright day (except when in flower), 

 the most common pests to attack them being thrips and green 



fly, but, fortunately, both of these may be eradicated by fumi- 

 gating, or by syringing with tobacco-water. Slugs are also 

 extremely partial to the succulent young shoots as they appear 

 above the ground, and must be trapped or otherwise guarded 

 against. 



It should also be remembered that during the summer the 

 Lapagerias will thrive under moderately heavy shading — full 

 exposure to our July sun being quite injurious to them. 



Philesia buxifolia. — This is also a hard-wooded plant from 

 South America, and is quite closely allied to the Lapagerias, 

 so closely, in fact, that a hybrid plant has been raised between 

 these two genera, to which has also been applied the hy- 

 brid name, Philageria. Philesia buxifolia is an erect growing 

 evergreen shrub with small leaves, the character of the latter 

 being well denoted by the specific name. It has bright rose 

 colored waxy flowers of moderately large size, bearing 

 some general resemblance to those of the Lapagerias, but 

 having only three petals instead of the six found in the Lapa- 

 geria. 



This Philesia is, I think, the only species of the genus, and 

 is a pretty little compact growing cool-house plant that will 

 flourish under very similar conditions to those noted for the 

 Lapagerias. It may be increased by cuttings, though these 

 root rather slowly. 



Holmesburg, Pa. W. H. Taplm, 



Notes on Some Hardy Wild Roses. — IV. 



TN 1887 Professor Crgpin described,* under the name of 

 *■ Rosa Wichuraiana, an interesting Rose from Japan and 

 China, which gives promise of becoming a very valuable addi- 

 tion to our list of desirable hardy species. Siebold and Zucca- 

 rini appear to have previously referred it to Rosa sempervirens, 

 a very different species, which is a native of southern Europe 

 and northern Africa. Later it was included by Franchet and 

 Rochebrune with their Rosa Lucia;, also indigenous to Japan 

 and China. Although it does not appear that this Rose has 

 ever been put on the market under the name so recently given 

 to it by Professor Cre"pin, yet as Rosa bracteata it is found in 

 the catalogues of some German nurseries, and plants have 

 been received so labeled at the Arboretum. 



But in this again we have a very misleading name, because 

 the true Rosa bracteata is a very different plant, a native of the 

 more southern portions of China, and so far not known to be 

 hardy here, although it has become naturalized in the far 

 southern states. The name has also been applied to a climb- 

 ing hybrid with double flowers. 



R. Wichuraiana is a low trailing species, and it differs from 

 any other Rose of similar habit in this latitude by the unusually 

 prostrate character of its stems. Other species of trail- 

 ing or climbing Roses usually grow upward for a foot or 

 two at least before they bend over and trail on the ground, but 

 R. Wichuraiana rests on the earth almost as closely as an Ivy, 

 and it has a habit of throwing out little rootlets at various 

 points along its creeping stems if the soil is sufficiently moist. 

 It makes a rampant growth, and will produce stems ten or fif- 

 teen feet or more in length in a season. The leaves are com- 

 posed of one, three, five, seven or nine thick, smooth, shining, 

 stiff, small green leaflets. These are serrate, and generally 

 short, obovate, or almost round and blunt at the apex. Gen- 

 erally more or less scattered along the steins are short, stout, 

 recurved spines, which are easily removed from the young 

 shoots. On the flowering branches the spines are small, few 

 or absent. There are no prickles. The flowers are borne in 

 much profusion in short, broad, somewhat pyramidal clusters 

 on the ends of short branches and branchlets. They expand 

 from one and a half to fully two inches across, and the petals 

 are of a pure white color, the stamens being yellow. They 

 possess a strong fragrance, resembling that of the Banksian 

 Rose more than any other familiar species. The period of 

 general flowering here appears to be from about the end of the 

 first week in July until the end of the month. A few blossoms, 

 however, are occasionally produced throughout the rest of 

 the season. The ovate, deep dull red fruit does not mature 

 until quite late in the autumn, but the seeds are generally 

 ripened without injury from severe frosts. 



Rosa Wichuraiana is quite hardy here, and probably its low 

 trailing habit is of advantage to it in withstanding our winters. 

 The terminal portions of the long new shoots frequently do 

 not ripen sufficiently to withstand the cold, and they are con- 

 sequently destroyed ; but, in any case, enough of the stems 

 remain to blossom freely the following summer. On account 

 of its handsome evergreen looking foliage, its beautiful white 



* Bulletin de la Societe royale de botanigue de Belgique, tome xxv. , 2, pp. 189-192. 



