154 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS 



COPTIB 



ERANTHIS (Winter Aconite).— A 

 genus of dwarf and pretty perennials 

 with tuberous roots, palmately cut leaves 

 and solitary yellow flowers. Sepals 5-8, 

 regular, petal-like, deciduous. Petals 

 small, clawed, with a scale at the base. 

 Stamens' and carpels numerous, the latter 

 separate, becoming follicles when ripe. 



Cultii/re o/nA Propagation. — There 

 are only the species described below. 

 They will grow in almost any soU, and are 

 seen to the best advantage under trees or 

 on banks in semi-wUd situations. They 

 are easily increased by division any time 

 after flowering up to the end of September. 

 Seeds may also be sown in the open 

 border, or in pots or pans, but as a rule 

 do not sprout until the following spring. 

 Then they only produce a leaf or two for 

 a few weeks and dry up, leaving only a 

 small tubercle , about the size of a pin's 

 head in the soU. Every year this little 

 tubercle becomes larger, and by the end of 

 the third or fourth year is quite faU grown 

 and flowers freely. 



E. cilicica. — This is a plant with more 

 finely divided leaves and rather duller 

 yeUow flowers which appear earlier or 

 later than those of -B. hyemalia according 

 to locality and circumstance. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



E. hyemalis. — -This, the best known 

 species, is a native of W. Europe and 

 grows 3-8 in. high. The yellow sessile 

 flowers appear soon after Christmas or 

 New Year's Day and continue to appear 

 well into March. There are 6-8 oblong 

 sepals and a similar number of very short 

 tubular petals. 



Culture do. as above. 



E. sibirica. — A Siberian plant 3 in. or 

 so high. The yellow flowers appear in 

 March and April, having 5 oval sepals. 



Culture do. as above. 



COPTIS (Gold Thread).— A genus 

 of pretty evergreen bog plants, with ter- 

 nately cut leaves and white flowers. Sepals 

 5-6, regular, petal-like, deciduous. Petals 

 5-6, small, hooded or linear. Carpels 

 (follicles when ripe) numerous, separate. 



Cultv/re and Propagation. — These 

 plants may be easily grown in moist sandy 

 or peaty soU. and increased by dividing 

 the roots in autumn or spring. Seeds 

 may also be sown as soon as ripe in pots 

 or pans of sandy peat and placed in cold 

 frames for the winter. The seedlings are 

 pricked out when large enough into other 



boxes or pots, and may be transferred to 

 the open ground in spring during mild 

 weather. They may be grown as an 

 edging or border to Bhododendrons, 

 Azaleas, Kabnias, and other plants of the 

 Erica family (see p. 574). 



C. asplenifolia. — A native of N.W. 

 America and Japan, about 1 ft. high, with 

 bitemate leaves, cut into sharply toothed 

 segments. Flowers white with 5 very long 

 and narrow petals, dilated and hooded in 

 the middle, appearing in early summer. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. occidentalis. — A plant 6-12 in. high 

 from the Rocky Mountains. Leaves 

 trifoliate, with short - stalked broadly 

 ovate leaflets. The white flowers have 

 6 non-hooded petals and appear in early 

 summer. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. orientalis. — A Japanese species 

 3-9 in. high. Leaves temate, each of the 

 divisions pinnate at the base, and 

 pinnatifld above ; lobes deeply cut. 

 Flowers white, in early summer. 



Culture do. as above. 



C. trifolia (Gold Thread). — A native 

 of N. America, Asia, and Europe, 3-5 in. 

 high, with bright yellow fibrous roots, 

 from which the popular name is derived. 

 Leaves trifoUate, with blunt toothed and 

 slightly 3-lobed leaflets. The white 

 flowers appear from April to July on 

 slender stalks which spring from the roots. 



Culture dc. as above. 



ISOPYRUM. — A genus containing 

 about seven species of dwarf slender per- 

 eimial herbs, with ternately decompound 

 leaves and white flowers solitary or 

 loosely paniculate; sepals 5-6, regular, 

 petal-like, deciduous. Petals 5, very short 

 and very variable in form, sometimes 

 absent. Carpels (follicles when ripe) 2-20, 

 separate. Stamens sometimes as many as 

 10 in number. 



I. thalictroides. — This European plant 

 is the only species in cultivation and has 

 very gracefully cut foliage somewhat 

 resembling Maidenhair Fern fronds, or 

 some of the Meadow Eues (Thalictrum). 

 It is 9-15 in. high, and produces its 

 small white flowers about April and May. 



Culture and Propagation. — This is a 

 beautiful plant for the rockery and grows 

 well in sandy or ordinary garden soil. 

 It may be increased from seeds sown in 

 spring in the open border, or in pots or 

 pans in cold frames, so that the seedlings 



