ON TREES AND SHRUBS. 365 



is freely branched, and grows about 20ft. high ; its bright 

 green leaves are set on long footstalks ; it is very ornamental, 

 by no means common, and thrives better in gravelly soils than 

 most of its congeners. A. platanoides rubrum has distinct 

 reddish-brown foliage ; very effective in the landscape. A. p. 

 globosum is rather slow in growth, and forms a neat round- 

 headed tree ; well adapted for extended culture. A. p. 

 Schwedleri is of good growth, with broad bronze-green leaves set 

 on long bright red petioles ; very effective in autumn. A. pictum 

 rubrum {A. colchicum rubrum) is a choice tree of vigorous growth, 

 with conspicuous brownish-red bark and glossy-green ■ leaves, 

 which in summer assume a purplish-red hue, intensifying in 

 colour till they fall off in autumn. A. rubrum {A. coccineum), 

 the Scarlet Maple, ranks as one of the finest of American Maples 

 for its autumnal tints ; it grows about 20ft. high, of rather 

 slender habit, and its green, deeply-lobed leaves change to 

 shades of orange and red in September. A. Pseudo-platanus 

 flavo-marginatum has pale green leaves, mottled and edged with 

 white. A. P.-p. Webbianum has similar leaves to those of the 

 last-named, but the tree is of more vigorous growth. The purple 

 foliage of A. P.-p. atropurpureum is very rich ; this variety 

 deserves to be planted extensively in parks and pleasure- 

 grounds. A. P.p. Leopoldi has pretty variegated leaves set on 

 red petioles ; it is distinct and handsome. A. P.-p. elegan- 

 tissimum variegatum, a sport from the last-named, is without 

 doubt the best of the recently-introduced Sycamores. In habit 

 it resembles the type, being free in growth, quite distinct, and 

 very ornamental. In spring its leaves are suffused with rose- 

 pink on a cream ground, and in some cases they are irregularly 

 splashed with green. Where vigorous trees with showy foliage 

 are required this Sycamore should be noted. A. Negundo 

 variegatum is one of the most charming of hardy trees, with 

 silver-coloured foliage, and is a favourite tree for the villa garden ; 

 it succeeds well in dry soils, and does not lose colour in the 

 sun. It may be grown either as a bush, or as a standard, worked 

 on the green-leaved kind. A. N. elegans is much freer in growth 

 than the last-named; its stout light green shoots are covered 

 with a glaucous bloom, and the pale green leaves irregularly 

 bordered and splashed with yellow, change to cream-white with 

 age ; a fine decorative tree. A. N. crispum and a A. N. 

 laciniatum are also noteworthy. 



• For elegance of habit, colour, and variety of foliage, no hardy 

 shrubs can compare with the varieties of the dwarf-growing 

 Japanese Maple {A. palmatum). Although some of them have 

 been grown in British gardens for a considerable time, they have 

 not been much planted. No doubt their absence may be due 

 to the fact that they were looked upon as a trifle tender. Their 

 hardiness is, however, beyond question, and we are familiar with 



