ii6 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



FRUITING BRANCH, BERBERIS. 



armed with small but stiff and sharp spines. The spoon- 

 shaped leaves are small, dark, and glossy, green in spring 

 and summer, snd in autumn take on a variety of hues — 

 crimson, orange, and bronze — which are retained for some 

 weeks. The flowers are solitary, distributed along the 



branches, and 

 of a lighter 

 shade of yellow 

 than those of 

 most others. 

 They appear 

 in early spring, 

 and are followed by an abundance of fruit which hangs 

 from the under side of the branches from one end to the 

 other, and covers the whole bush. The oblong berries 

 are bright scarlet in color, exceedingly showy, and never 

 fail to give the shrub a most charming appearance in late 

 autumn and early winter. It is a peculiarity of these 

 berries that they contain very little pulp or juice, and 

 so do not shrivel or even wrinkle after they ripen, even 

 though subjected to frost and repeated freezing. They 

 are very persistent, and retain their places far into, and 

 sometimes through, the winter, and up to the time of 

 blossoming for the next season. This alone would cause 

 the plant to be most highly esteemed, as it is not often 

 that a shrub is found which is almost equally attractive 

 in spring and summer, autumn and winter. Whether 

 standing as a solitary shrub on the lawn or in the garden, 

 planted in groups or placed in the border or hedgerow, 

 B. thunbergii never fails, when thus fruited, to brighten 



