Shrubs and Vines 



flowers, and in M. gracilis they are a rich purple. Con- 

 spicuously different from all others is M. stellata, a hardy 

 sort from Japan, also in the Park, whose small flowers 

 have about fifteen narrow petals, rayed like a star. It 

 blossoms very early, is fragrant, like most of the mag- 

 nolias, and its smaller size makes it more suitable for 

 some situations than any of the others. 



Our only native species in shrub form — and even this 

 is quite arborescent — is the swamp magnolia, or sweet 

 bay, M. glauca, whose extreme northern limit is prob- 

 ably Cape Ann, in the northeast corner of Massachusetts. 

 This has smaller blossoms than most of the others, but 

 remains well in flower, and is quite fragrant. The leaf- 

 type is essentially the same throughout the genus, and 

 the rich heavy foliage partly atones for the rather un- 

 graceful figure of most of the species, and affords a pleas- 

 ing contrast to other greens. It is unnecessary to enu- 

 merate the other species and hybrids in cultivation, as 

 the differences are not very conspicuous. 



The genus mulberry, containing several interesting 

 trees, is here referred to only to call attention to a curi- 

 ous and beautiful variety that might be reckoned among 

 the shrubs, effected by grafting pendulous stock upon a 

 short shaft — the Russian weeping mulberry. The leaf 

 is very unique and variable in contour, and the mass of 

 luxuriant growth sweeping on all sides to the ground, 

 completely hiding the supporting trunk, is singularly 

 beautiful. 



A genus little known, but affording a valuable accession 

 to our list of ornamental shrubs, is Elceagnus, or oleas- 

 ter, whose special characteristics are foliage that is dark 

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