HARDY CLIMBING SHRUBS 75 



viz: the Canadian Moonseed (Menispermum cana- 

 dense), eastern Siberian (M. dauricum), and the Chi- 

 nese (Sinomenium acutum). A closely allied twiner 

 is Cocculus trilobus (better known as C. Thunbergii) 

 native of China and Japan which is remarkable for the 

 variability in shape of its leaves. 



The native Greenbriers (Smilax rotundifolia and S. 

 hispida), with their Japanese relative S. Sieboldii and 

 two or three other species, are interesting as being the 

 only hardy woody climbers in one great division of the 

 vegetable world to which belong the Palms and 

 Grasses and which is designated by botanists Mono- 

 cotyledons. 



Species of evergreen climbers are few in number 

 in the north temperate regions and none occurs in 

 the cold northern parts of this continent. In the 

 Arnold Arboretum the only really hardy and satisfac- 

 tory evergreen climber is the Japanese Evonymus 

 (E. radicans) and its variety vegetus. These are root- 

 climbers and do well on walls and trees and like other 

 plants of their class form a bushy growth when old 

 enough to produce flowers. The axillary short- 

 stalked clusters of greenish-white flowers appear in 

 late June and are followed by white fruits which open 

 and display in marked contrast the seeds with their 

 orange-scarlet coverings. The type has narrowly 



