COLUTEA 



LABUBNUM AND BBOOM OBDEB cabagana 341 



elliptic, depressed at the tips. Flowers 

 from Jime to August, yellow, about 6 on 

 a stalk. This species is said to grow on 

 the Vesuvian crater. The variety pygmma 

 (or crispd) is a dwarf form with curled 

 leaves. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



C. cruenta (0. orientalis ; C. san- 

 guinea). — A native of S.E. Europe, 4-6 

 ft. high. Leaflets 7-9, glaucous. Flowers 

 in summer, reddish-yeUow, 3-5 on a stalk. 

 C. media is very similar but has orange- 

 yeUow flowers. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



C. halepica. — A native of the Levant 

 3-6 ft. high. Leaves glaucous, with 

 small, numerous leaflets. Flowers in 

 summer, yellow, larger than those of the 

 other species. This plant is also known 

 as C. istria. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



HALIMODENDRON (Salt Tree). 

 A genus with only one species described 

 herewith : — 



H. arg'enteum (Bobinia Haloden- 

 d/ron) . — A pretty shrub 4-6 ft. high, 

 native of Asiatic Eussia, with abruptly 

 pinnate, silky, whitish leaves, having 2 

 pairs of leaflets, the main leaf stalk end- 

 ing in a spine. Flowers from May to 

 July, purpUsh, rather large, umbelled, 

 axillary, or clustered on the old knots. 

 Calyx gibbous behind, with short teeth. 

 Standard roundish, folded at the edges ; 

 wings falcate-oblong, free ; keel incurved, 

 obtuse. Stamens 10, upper one free. 

 Pod ovoid or oblong, much inflated, 

 thickish, leathery. 



Culture and Propagation.— -The Salt 

 Tree thrives in sandy soil and may be 

 increased by seeds, cuttings, or layers. It 

 is often grafted upon the common 

 Laburnum and the Caragana and grown 

 as a standard tree simply because seedling 

 plants on their own roots often perish 

 if placed in positions where the young 

 stems are not much protected from keen 

 cold winds. Once the stems have become 

 well-ripened and woody, there is not so 

 much danger of the plants dying. Under 

 favourable conditions it is a handsome 

 plant, the drooping clusters of purplish 

 flowers being in strong contrast to the 

 silvery white or grey of the foliage. 



CARAGANA (Siberian Pea Teee). 

 A genus with 15 species of ornamental 

 trees or shrubs with abruptly pinnate 



leaves, awl-shaped, spiny, or minute 

 stipules, and axillary, solitary or crowded 

 flowers, always on slender stallfs. 

 Calyx somewhat gibbous, teeth nearly 

 equal. Standard petal ovate or roundish, 

 folded at the sides, with a narrow claw ; 

 wings obUque, oblong, free ; keel rather 

 straight, obtuse. Stamens 10, upper one 

 free. Pod sessile, linear, round or 

 swollen. 



Cultu/re and Propagation. — Caraganas 

 thrive in sandy soil, and are suitable for 

 shrubberies. They may be raised from 

 seeds, or increased by cuttings of the roots, 

 and by layers. They are frequently grafted 

 on C. arborescens, which is raised from seed 

 sown as soon as ripe or in early spring. 



Although not of the highest merit from 

 a decorative point of view, the Caraganas 

 nevertheless may be given a place in large 

 gardens on account of their rather graceful 

 habit, their perfect hardiness, and the fact 

 that most of them will flourish in almost 

 any poor soil. 



C. arborescens. — A Siberian tree 

 15-20 ft. high. Leaflets 4-6 pairs, oval 

 oblong, hairy ; stipules spiny. Flowers 

 in April and May, pale or bright yellow, 

 in clusters, each flower having a slender 

 stalk about 1 in. long. There are 

 several varieties, the best being noma, 

 which is a dwarf compact shrub vidth 

 gnarled and knotted branches, the leaves 

 and flowers, however, being similar to 

 those of the type ; pendula, as the name 

 indicates, is a weeping variety and is 

 usually grafted on tall stocks of the typical 

 C. arhorescens so that the branches may 

 hang down more or less vertically ; B,e- 

 dowski is remarkable for its long flexuous 

 usually unbranched stems and its free- 

 flowering character. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



C. aurantiaca. — A comparatively 

 recent introduction from Central Asia. 

 It grows 3-4 ft. high and is closely related 

 to C. pygmcea, but may be distinguished 

 from that species by its larger and more 

 distinctly lobed calyx and more pointed 

 linear leaflets, of which latter there are 

 2 pairs issuing from the axU of a triple 

 spine. The deep orange-yellow flowers 

 hang down from the branches in great 

 profusion in May and June and have a 

 very ornamental appearance. 



Culture Ac. as above. Like most of 

 the other species seeds are produced freely 

 but the plants are usually grafted. 



