346 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



S. Animus is the Goat's-head Spirsea, a vigorous 

 and stately perennial, a native of Europe, Asia, and 

 America, growing to a height of four feet, producing 

 in summer small white flowers, freely produced in 

 long spikes forming a terminal panicle. It does well 

 in the open border, and if roots be taken up in the 

 autumn, and put into pots, it forces well in early 

 spring. 



S. ja^onica, as it is termed, but subsequently known 

 as Hoteia japonica, and more recently as AatUbejn- 

 ponica, is a well-known plant, largely used for forcing 

 in early spring, and thi'owing up numerous feathery 

 panicles of white flowers. 



S. 'japonica va/riegata is a beautiful variegated form 

 of this, every leaf traced throughout with golden- 

 coloured veins, the flowers larger than in the case 

 of the type. Both are hardy, and should have a rich 

 moist soil. The green form is very largely grown on 

 the Continent, and sent to England in great quantities 

 in autumn, where it is extensively forced into bloom 

 in spring, and largely used in floral decorations. It 

 is also an excellent decorative plant for a warm 

 green-house when well grown in pots. It is a 

 native of Japan. 



S. pahnata, the Palmate Spiraea, so named on ac- 

 count of its handsome Palm-Jike leaves, is one of the 

 most beautiful hardy plants in cultivation ; the deep 

 purple-red of the stems and branches passing into 

 the crimson-purple of the glorious broad corymbs of 

 flowers, contrasts finely with the foliage, which in the 

 autumn assumes beautiful tints of brown and gold. 

 It does well in a deep sandy loam, on a moist border, 

 and near to water ; it also makes a good forcing plant 

 in spring, and is largely imported from abroad for 

 this purpose. A variety pmed elegms is said to be a 

 white form, but is not pure ;"it is certainly very dis- 

 tinct, and a pretty plant, in habit and foliage very 

 similar, the pale flowers having conspicuous red 

 stamens. Both are natives of Japan. 



S. Uhnm-ia is the Meadow-sweet, or, as in Turner, 

 Mede-swete, a meaningless name. Supposed to be 

 a corruption of Meadwort, or honey- wine herb. HiU, 

 in his " Herbal," states that "the flowers mixed with 

 mead give it the flavour of Greek wines," and this 

 is said to be unquestionably the source of the word. 

 Dr. Prior, in his "Popular Names of British Plants," 

 states that " the Latin name, Regina prati, Meadow's 

 Queen, has misled our herbalists, in their ignorance 

 of its use, to form the above strangely-compounded 

 word. Meadow-sweet." 



S. Ulmaria is a common British plant, bearing 

 yellowish-white flowers in summer, sweet-scented, 

 , small, and numerous. It is a native of Europe and 

 Britain, flourishing in borders in any soil and in waste 

 places, and, like the foregoing, increased by division 

 of the roots. There is a double variety of this also, 



which makes an excellent border plant ; and also one 

 with handsome variegated foliage; 



■S. vmuata is known as the Queen of the Prairie 

 — a handsome, hardy perennial, a native of North 

 America and Siberia. Its lovely deep rosy-canuine 

 flowers are produced on stems from two to four feet 

 in height, forming huge cymes six to twelve inches 

 across. It is undoubtedly one of the finest of the 

 Meadow-sweets, and one of the best of hardy peren- 

 nials for planting in a shady moist situation. 



A recently introduced species is S. attilboides. It 

 is a native of Japan, and one of the most handsome 

 of hardy herbaceous perennials. The stems are fur- 

 nished with tritemate leaves, and. terminated by 

 compound feathery branches of elegant white flowers; 

 it makes a charming pot plant for decorative pur- 

 poses in the early spring months ; it is of free 

 growth, and its flowers are produced in the greatest 

 profusion. 



There are many Spiraeas that are hardy flowering 

 shrubs, some of great beauty — such as arimfoUa, 

 which produces large feathery panicles of white 

 flowers abundantly in July ; Lindleyana, a noble 

 shrub from the Himalayas, with very large compound 

 leaves and inmiense bunches of white flowers, quite 

 hardy; opulifoUa, with showy white flowers, succeeded 

 by red bladder-like fruit, which remain on the tree a 

 long time, and are quite as ornamental as the flowers ; 

 pmhj^stacliys, that bears immense bunches of pinkish 

 flowers, abundantly produced ; prunifolia, a handsome 

 species producing double white blossoms ; salicifolia, 

 having erect spikes of rose-coloured flowers; and 

 trilobata, when in blossom a mass of snowy flowers. 

 AU the shrubby Spirseas are free bloomers, and are 

 "^ery gay when in flower. Most of them, however, 

 throw up suckers rather too profusely. 



Th.e Cateh-fly [Silene). — SUene is the generic 

 name adopted by Linna;us from the Greek word 

 sielos, " spume or saliva,'' on account of the sticki- 

 ness of some of the species. The common English 

 name — Catch-fly — was given in consequence of 

 flies being often caught in the viscid fluid which, in 

 some species, surrounds parts of the stem. Silene is 

 a very numerous genus, but comparatively few are 

 cultivated generally, and of these the hardy annuals 

 find most favour. 



Of our British species, the best known are S., 

 acaulis,' the Cushion Pink or Moss Campion, and 

 S. noctiflora, the Night-flowering Catch-fly. Acaulis 

 means " stemless." Moss Campion refers to "the 

 number of heads of small gi-een leaves, very thick set' 

 together in tufts, in that manner spreading much 

 ground, and covering it like Mosse ; " so writes old 

 Parkinson. Campion is thought to be a corruption 

 of " champagne," or open country, alluding to the 



