182 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS bongaedia 



blunt, entire or slightly toothed leaves; 

 spines 3-partecl. Flowers yellow, borne 

 in nodding racemes in May. 

 Culture dc. as above. 



B. stenophylla. — This is supposed to 

 be a hybrid between B, Darwimi and B. 

 empetrifoUa, and its narrow abruptly 

 pointed leaves and general habit help to 

 confirm this opinion. It is an excellent 

 plant for massing in groups on the grass, 

 on banks, borders, sides of drives &c., and 

 when bearing its garlands of bright yeUow 

 flowers, from February to April, looks 

 really magnificent. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. Thunbergi. — A handsome decidu- 

 ous Japanese shrub with a low-growing 

 spreading habit. The arching stems are 

 furnished with straight spines and clusters 

 of obovate or spoon-shaped leaves ^1 in. 

 long, which assume a glowing scarlet hue 

 in autumn. The small drooping flowers 

 appear in April, having red sepals and 

 yeUow petals, the latter tinged with red. 

 In autumn they are succeeded by oblong 

 scarlet berries, which with the fohage 

 make this one of the most attractive of 

 Barberries. ■ 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. vulgaris, the Common Barberry 

 of ijur copses and hedges, is a somewhat 

 acrid shrub varying in height from 4r-12 ft. 

 It has obovate spiny-toothed leaves, and 

 produces its many-flowered drooping 

 racemes of yellow blossoms in spring. 

 These are succeeded by the orange-red 

 berried fruits which look so handsome in 

 autumn. There is a variety called atro- 

 purpurea which has rich purple-red leaves 

 and looks particularly handsome in 

 autumn, and many others which differ but 

 little fromi the type — forty-three being 

 given in the Kew Handlist alone. The 

 variety asperma with drooping clusters of 

 scarlet oblong berries is one of the most 

 desirable for shrubberies or fences. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



B. wallichiana. — A handsome Nepa- 

 lese shrub 6-10 ft. high, with leaves in 

 alternate bundles, 2-3 in. long, lance- 

 shaped, withhoUowed and toothed margins. 

 The beautiful globular yellow flowers are 

 borne in drooping clusters in spring for 

 some distance along the slender branches. 



Culture do. as above. 



BONGARDIA. 



one species : — 



-A genus having- only 



B. Rauwolfi [LeonUce alta/ica). — A 

 pretty little perennial about 6 in. high,, 

 native of Central Asia, with a tuberous 

 rootstock from which spring the pinnately 

 cut glaucous leaves with thickish seg- 

 ments again twice or thrice divided or 

 toothed with a purple blotch at the base. 

 The golden-yellow flowers appear in May 

 on branched pyramidal panicles, each 

 blossom being about 1 in. across and 

 drooping from a slender stalklet or 

 pedicel. Sepals 3-6, petaloid. Petals 6, 

 almost similar. Stamens 6, free. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 plant flourishes in light sandy soil in 

 warm open positions in the rock garden 

 or border. A little peat or leaf mould 

 may be added to the soil, but in vpinter 

 the rootstocks should be protected from 

 cold heavy rains by a flower pot, bell- 

 glass &c., otherwise the tuberous root- 

 stocks are apt to perish. The plants may 

 be increased by seeds sown in cold frames 

 when ripe, or by offsets taken off in 

 spring, or in early autumn and wintered 

 in a cold frame. 



LEONTICE (Lion's Leaf). — A 

 genus with 3 or 4 species of tuberous- 

 rooted herbs and leaves twice or thrice 

 pinnately cut. Flowers yellow, in racemes 

 or panicles. Sepals 6-9 petaloid, the 

 outer ones smallest. Petals 6, much 

 shorter than the sepals, truncate at the 

 apex and nectary-bearing. Stamens 6,. 

 free. 



Cultv/re a/nd Propagation. — These 

 plants may be grown in the same way as 

 Bongardia Ba/wwolfi in light sandy soil 

 in warm sunny positions in the rockery 

 or border. The tuberous rootstocks or 

 corms should not be buried too deep in the 

 soU, and during the winter months should 

 be protected from cold heavy rains by 

 glasses &c.,orthey will share the fate of the 

 Bongardias. The plants may be increased 

 by seeds sown in cold frames as soon as 

 ripe, or by means of offsets taken off in 

 early autumn and planted in cold fr-ames 

 until spring ; or by detaching them in 

 spring when growth has begun. 



L. Alberti. — A native of Turkestan 

 about 1 ft. high, with 5-parted digitate 

 leaves, the lobes of which are bluntly 

 elliptic. The golden - yellow flowers 

 striped outside with red appear in April 

 in conical clusters and look attractive. 



Other species met vsdth occasionally 

 are L. darwasica from Bokhara, and 



