70 Ornamental Shrubs. 



exposures that few plants are able to endure. Some of 

 the varieties are especially beautiful and should be selected 

 for garden cultivation in preference to the original form, 

 whenever they can be procured. There is a white-flower- 

 ing plant that is very pretty ; a flesh-colored, one much 

 admired ; and others with double blossoms, though these 

 are not always improvements. There are also varieties 

 with golden and silver-colored shoots, that are exceed- 

 ingly attractive both in flower and foliage, and especially 

 adapted to planting in masses, and the wonder is that they 

 are not more freely used. In short, all the heaths known 

 as callunas are worthy of attention. 



RHAMNUS— Buckthorn. 



THE buckthorn family, Rhamnacece, is widely dis- 

 tributed throughout Europe, northern Africa, 

 Asia, and America, and, though preferring a warm 

 climate, most of the species thrive also in the temperate 

 zones. It is believed that the lotus fruit spoken of by 

 Homer was a product of a member of this family, though 

 not that which is now known to us in cultivation. The 

 buckthorn proper, rhamnus, constitutes a tribe of more 

 than thirty species, a few only of which are found in the 

 United States. They are all large shrubs or small trees 

 with opposite leaves, minute, fragrant flowers, and stony 

 fruit. 



The species known as the common buckthorn, R. 

 catharticus, is found growing wild in New England, 

 though Emerson expresses the opinion that it was probably 



