288 Ornamental Shrubs. 



especial mention as suitable for the park or garden. The 

 first, G. lasianthus, popularly known as loblolly bay, is 

 a shrub often rising to a height of e'ght or ten feet, with 

 coriaceous foliage, the leaves being oblong-lanceolate, nar- 

 rowed at the base, smooth and glossy. The flowers are 

 about four inches in diameter, pure white, and deliciously 

 fragrant. They are composed of five broad, incurved 

 petals enclosing a large number of yellow stamens and 

 anthers. The flowers appear early in September, and, 

 though they are at no time abundant, continue in succes- 

 sion until killed off by frost. This late blooming gives the 

 shrub its principal attraction. The whole bush has a pe- 

 culiar fragrance said to resemble that of the Chinese tea 

 plant, so much so that the leaves have sometimes been 

 used as a substitute for tea. G. pubescens is much the same 

 in its general characteristics. It grows to little more than 

 half the height of tlie preceding, and has leaves slightly 

 downy, especially on the under side. The flowers are 

 about three inches in diameter, pure white with yellow 

 filaments, and fragrant. They appear in August, and con- 

 tinue until late autumn. 



CERCIS— Judas-Tree— Red-Bud. 



WHAT is popularly known as the Judas-tree or 

 red-bud, cercis, constitutes a genus of Le- 

 guminoscB containing, so far as known, not 

 more than five or six species, and only a small number of 

 varieties that are found in cultivation. The common name, 

 Judas-tree, is applied because of the ancient legend that 

 the arch-traitor went out and hanged himself on a tree of 



