JAPANESE SPIREA 193 
called S. japonica but S. barbata also. It has also been described under 
the name of Hoteia japonica, and may be found in gardens and in 
florists’ catalogues under either name, but its correct designation is 
Astilbe japonica. 
ASTILBE JAPONICA (Japanese). Stems 1 to 2 feet high. 
Leaves compound, of nine to twelve lance - shaped or 
narrow-oval leaflets with toothed edges; the leafstalks hairy at the 
joints. The flowers are small, white, associated in dense racemed 
panicles; May and June. Native of Japan. Plate 92. There are 
several varieties in cultivation. One of these, var. Joliis purpurea, 
has purplish stems and leaves; another, var. variegata, has the leaves 
prettily marked with yellow, and denser panicles. . 
A. RIVULARIS (growing by rivulets).. Stems 3 feet high. Leaflets 
Six or nine, oval, double-toothed, hairy. Flowers creamy to reddish; 
July and August. Native of Nepal. 
A. RUBRA (red). Stems 4 to 6 feet high. Leaflets six, oblique, 
heart-shaped, toothed. Flowers rosy, in dense panicles; J uly to 
September. Native of India. 
A. THUNBERGIT (Thunberg’s). Stems sub-shrubby, somewhat 
downy, 20 inches high. Leaves unequally pinnate; leaflets oval, 
toothed, of a yellowish hue. Flowers white, small, in erect pyra- 
midal panicles; May. Introduced from Japan within the last twenty 
years. 
Principal Species, 
The species mentioned are most suitable for damp 
places, although they will grow anywhere if freely 
watered and well-manured. Without these conditions, they may leaf 
freely, but their panicles of ‘flowers will be thin and insignificant, and 
the foliage liable to turn brown at the edges. A. rubra should be 
turned out of doors only in summer. They are all well-suited for pot- 
culture, and A. japonica and A. Thunbergii are much used for forcing. 
Propagation is effected in spring by division of the clumps, the portions 
being planted out in partial shade, in heavily-manured soil. In autumn, 
if required for decorative purposes, these should be taken up and potted 
in equally rich soil, the pots being then plunged into ashes or cocoa-nut 
fibre. When the new roots have had time to fill the pots, the plants 
may be successively brought into heat and forced into’ blossom early 
in the new year. From the time growth commences, water must be 
given in abundance, and to ensure a sufficiency the pots should stand 
in deep saucers of water. Large numbers are imported from the 
Continent every year for greenhouse or table decoration, and very 
commonly after they have served this purpose they are allowed to dry 
u.—8 . 
Cultivation. 
