FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS 



373 



Name. 



Country or 



Origin and 



Natural Order. 



Colour 



AND 



Season. 



General Remarks. 



'Genista virgata 



Madeira 



Yellow ; 



June and 



July 



Gordonia Lasian- 

 thus (Loblolly 

 Bay) 



G. pubescens 



Halesias (Silver 

 Bell, or Snowdrop 

 trees) 



Virginia to 



Florida ; 



Ternstroemiaceae 



Georgia and 

 Florida 



Styracese 



White ; 

 July 



White 



This must attain a certain age 

 and size before it displays 

 its full beauty, small plants 

 flowering sparsely or not at 

 all, while older specimens 

 are a glorious sight during 

 the period of flowering. 

 Thoroughly hardy in at least 

 the southern half of Eng- 

 land, self-sown seedlings of 

 it having been known to 

 spring up in considerable 

 num&rs under old plants in 

 sheltered positions. In a 

 shrubbery or wood it makes 

 a brilliant blaze of yellow. 

 It succeeds in almost any 

 soil or situation provided it 

 is not too heavy or wet. 

 Under favourable conditions 

 It reaches a height of i6 

 feet to 20 feet, with rather 

 straggling branches, every 

 little twig of which is covered 

 vrith flowers in season. The 

 leaves are about half an inch 

 in length, and covered with 

 white, silky hairs on the un- 

 der side and a few scattered 

 ones on the upper surface. 

 Easily raised from seed. 



A sub-evergreen shrub 6 to 8 

 feet high, bearing beautiful 

 white flowers like single Ca- 

 mellias. It needs a sheltered 

 spot and a moist peaty soil. 



Of rather smaller growth than 

 the preceding, while the 

 leaves are pubescent under- 

 neath. The flowers, too, 

 have the tuft of yellow sta- 

 mens more pronounced than 

 in G. Lasianthus. Both need 

 the same treatment. 



This is a beautiful family of 

 flowering trees, named after 

 Dr. Stephen Hales. The 

 flowers are like the snowdrop 

 in shape, hence the name, 

 and there are two distinct 

 sections, American and Asi- 

 atic. The Halesias like a 

 rich, moist, loamy or peaty 

 soil. Although often trees 

 of considerable size in their 

 native homes, they mostly 

 retain a somewhat shrubby 

 character in this country. All 

 the species, however, except 

 H. parviflora, can, bypruning 

 away the lower branches, be 

 made to form small trees. 



