1758 



ST-MPHORICARPOS 



SYMPLOCOS 



-Sym- 



2448. 

 Fruits oT Indian Currant 

 phoricarpos vulgaris (X ^.ji. 



Shnwintj bow feTv of tlic frnit 

 develop. 



Easti.^ni X. A. B.B. 3;2:i;>.-A snmoth shrub ^vix]\ slen- 

 der brauches usuall}' bending under its load of bL^rri(.'S. 

 Var. pauciilorus, Robbins, is of smaller growth and 

 has fewer fruits. Mn. 2, p. 10. B.B. L!:23G. 

 BB. Sfanieii.'^ and sfi/Ic exst:iied. 

 occidentalis, R. Br. Wolfberky. This may be con- 

 sidered as till- western form of our ea.steru species, luit 

 it is less attractive than the y.treceding, as it is less 

 fruitful and the individual berries are not as clear and 

 waxy. Lvs. ovate: lis. 

 in spikes, lioth terminal 

 and axillary; stamens 

 and style exsertod: fr. 

 the sajue dimensions as 

 white. July. Mich., north 

 and west. G.F. :^:297. B. 

 B. ;^:236. A shrub of about 

 tlie last and closely re- 

 srmbling it, the exserted 

 stamens and style being 

 the most obvious dis- 

 tinction. 



A A. Fruit red. 

 vulgaris, Michx. Ix- 



tilAN CURKANT. COKAL 



Berky. Fig. 2448. Lvs. 

 ovate : fls. in d en s e 

 axillary and terminal 

 spikes ; style and sta- 

 nieus included; fr. dark 

 riMJ. .Inly. Along rivers 

 anil rocKy places N.J. to 

 Dakotas, south to (-ia, 

 and Tex. Mn. 1, p. 84. 

 (.-in. H4, p. 280. -A rather 

 more compact bush than 

 the twri previouslv descril>ed species. Valuable because 

 of it-- aiiundant persistent fruit and foliage. Var. var- 

 iegatus, Hort., has the leaves marked white and yellow 

 and i- ihe same as var. fo/ii.s rcriedfif/s. Var. glomer- 

 6.tus, Hurt., is a form with longer terminal spikes. 



John F. Cowell. 



SYMPHYANDRA (Greek; antlwrs f/rowu for/r/her) . 

 C'l III /><i )in h'lrra-. SijiHjdi ijii inJrii Hufinanni is a hardy 

 piTennial lierii, 1-2 ft. high, with pendulous bell-shaped 

 flowers l'-2 irj. long and an inch or more across. The 

 tls. are borne in a large h-afy jianicle. Under favorable 

 oonrlitions in England this iilant has maintained a suc- 

 cession of bloom from July to December. T. D. Hat- 

 fiidd finds that in this couiitr}'' "the plant is Habits to 

 exhaust itself in blooming, thus behaving like a bien- 

 nial. It has large, fleshy roots, neeils a dry posifion and 

 sews itself." 



iS>"niphyandra is a genus of about 7 species of jit'ren- 

 nial lierlis found in the region of Asia Minor. ]ts 

 special botanical interest lies hi the fact that the 

 anthers are grown together into a tube, which character 

 tends to annul the distinction between the Campanula 

 and Lobflia families. Otherwise the genus is nnich 

 like ("."anii)anula. 



(I'encrii- rharacttrs : candi-x thick: lvs. broad, usuallv 

 cordate, dentate; radical lvs. iont;-stalked ; stemdvs. 

 few or small: fls. white or yellowish, usually uoilding, 

 racemose or loosely panicled: inflorescence centrifugal: 

 calyx-tube adnate, hemispherical or top-shaped, with or 

 without reflexed appendages between the lobes ; corolla 

 bell-shaped, .odobed : ovary ;j-Ioculed. 



H6fmanni, Pant. I\fnch branched, pilose: branches 

 dei-unibent : lvs. oblanceoiate, acute, doubly dentati-: 

 calyx with large, leafy, cordate segments, hemisj'hcri- 

 cal tube and no appendatres; corolla hairv inside. 

 Bosnia. B.M. 72fi8. Gn. .o7. p. ;^0.3. G.G. III'. 4:7ti1.- 

 This desirable bellflower has l)een cult, by aniafpurs in 

 the East. It sometimes spreads rapidly in half-shaded 



rockeries and sows itself. 



W. M. 



S'S'MPHYTirM (Greek, to yrmr tog,'thi?r, in reference 

 to the supposed healing virtues l. Borragiv()ri'(r . 

 CoJiFREY. About 10 species of perennial herbs from 



Europe, Asia and N. Africa, with usually tuberous 

 roots: lvs. simple, often decurrent, and with rather 

 small yellow, blue or purplish flowers pediceled in ter- 

 minal, simple or branched cymes: calyx 5-cut or parted, 

 lobes linear; corolla tubular, lobes very short and 

 nearly erect; stamens 5, attached to the middle of the 

 corolla-tube, included: nutlets 4; seeds nearly globular. 

 Of eas}' culture in any good soil. The shade of over- 

 hanging trees is not objectionable. When grown for 

 the iieauty of the variegated foliage the flowering stems 

 may be removed with advantage. 



A. Li'S. decurrent on (he stem. 



officm&,le, Linn. A hardy branching perennial, about 

 .'! ft. high: root thick: lower lvs. large, broadly lanceo- 

 late: upper lvs. narrower: fls. small, pale yellow or 

 purplish, in droojuug cymes. June, July. Eu., Asia. 



Var. varieg^tum, Hort., has leaves widely margined 

 with creamy white. A beautiful variegated plant es- 

 pecially attractive in spring, when the coloring of the 

 leaves is brightest and the large rosettes have not yet 

 sent up any flower-stems. F.8. 18:1901-1902. 



AA. Lvs. not decurrent on the stem. 

 asp^rrimum, Donn. Prickly Comfrey. Fig. 2449. A 

 hardy perennial, more vigorous than S. officinale, often 

 r> ft. high: lvs. ovatedanceolate, prickly on both sides: 

 fls. reddish in the bud, becoming blue, smaller than in 

 iS'. officinale. June, July. Caucasus. B.M. 929. — Var. 

 varieg:atuin, Hort., has leaves distinctly margined with 

 yellow. J. B. Keller and F. W. Barclay. 



SYMPLOCARPUS. See Spathyema. 



S'S'MPLOCOS (Greek, Si/niploco.^, entwined or con- 

 nected, the stamens being connate at the base). In- 

 cluding Hopea and Lodhra. Styracdcece. Ornamental 

 deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs, with alternate, 

 entire or serrate lvs. and usually white fls. in racemes 

 or panicles, rarely solitary, followed by berry-like, 

 black, red or blue fruits. Only the deciduous S. crafif- 

 {/('ides is hardy north; it is a shrub with abundant white 

 fls. in spring and bright blue fruits in autumn. It 

 thrives in well -drained 

 soil and sunny position. 

 The half - evergreen iS'. 

 tinctoria, which seems 

 not hardy north of its 

 natural habitat, prefers 

 moist soil and shad}" 

 situation. The evergreen 

 species are all tender 

 and little known in cul- 

 tivation. Prop, by seeds, 

 which usually do not 

 germinate until the sec- 

 ond year, and by green- 

 wood' cuttings under 

 glass; also by layers. 



About 160 s p e c i e 

 w i d e 1 y d i s t r i \\ u t e d 

 through the tropical re- 

 gions except Africa; only 

 a few outside the trop- 

 ics. Mostly trees : fls. 

 in terminal or axillary 

 racemes or panicles, 

 rarely solitary; calyx 5- 

 lohed; corolla 5 parted, 

 often almost to the base; 

 stamens numerous, usu- 

 ally connate at the base; 

 style filiform: ovary 2- 

 fj-ioculed. inferior: fr. a 

 drupe, with 1-5 1-seeded 

 stones. Several species 

 liave medical properties; 

 S. tinctoria yields a yel- 

 low dye. 



crataegoides, Buch . -Plam. ( 5. pa n icu h).ta , Wall . 

 Li'dhra crafa^i/o'iiles, Decne.). Deciduous shrub or some- 

 times tree, attaining 40 ft., with slender, spreading 

 lo-anches, forming an irregular open head; young 



2449. 

 Symphytum asperrimum. 



