368 



PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS neillia 



leaves, downy or nearly smooth beneath. 

 Flowers in looser clusters, purple-red, and 

 earher than Douglasi, usually in July and 

 August. 



Culture tic. as above, p. 365. 



S. prunifolia. — A beautiful Chinese and 

 Japanese shrub 4-5 ft. high, with small, 

 smooth, elliptic oval leaves, connate at 

 the base, and irregularly toothed toward 

 the apex. Flowers in March, pure white, 

 in clusters along the whole length of the 

 branches. The double-flowered variety, 

 flore plena, is a more ornamental plant 

 than the type. 



Culture da. as above. The foliage of 

 this species assumes beautiful scarlet tints 

 in autumn, and is very ornamental. 



S. pubescens {S. chinensis). — A Mon- 

 golian shrub, 2 ft. high, with ovate oblong, 

 acute leaves li in. long, much wrinkled, 

 deeply serrated, somewhat 3-lobed, downy 

 beneath. Flowers in March, pure white, 

 small, slightly fragrant, in rounded heads. 



Ciolture tic. as above, p. 365 



S. salicifolia A native of Europe, N. 



Asia and N. America, but now naturaUsed 

 in parts of the British Islands. It grows 

 3-5 ft. high, with leaves 2-3 in. long, 

 oblong lance-shaped, serrate. Flowers in 

 July and August, rosy-pink, in dense, 

 somewhat cylindrical cymes. There are 

 several forms, the peculiarities of which 

 are indicated by their names, such as 

 aVpestris, carnea, grandiflora, latifolia, 

 or paniculata &c. There is also a white- 

 flowered variety. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. sorbifolia. — A pretty Asiatic shrub 

 3-6 ft. high, with pinnate leaves and 

 lance-shaped, sharply serrated leaflets. 

 Flowers in July and August, white, sweet- 

 scented, in clustered panicles. 



Culture c6c. as above, p. 365. 



S. Thunbergi. — A beautiful Japanese 

 shrub 1-3 ft. high, with smooth, linear 

 lance-shaped, sharply serrated leaves, 

 changing to brilliant crimson in autumn. 

 Flowers in April, white, in great profusion. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. tomentosa. — A N. American shrub 

 about 3 ft. high, with rusty tomentose 

 stems, and ovate or oblong serrate leaves, 

 woolly beneath. Flowers in July, rosy or 

 rarely white, in dense panicles. 



Culture dc. as above, p. SC). 



S. trilobata. — This is a handsome 

 shrub 1-2 ft. high, native of the Altaian 

 Mountains. Leaves roundish, lobed, 

 crenated, smooth. Flowers in May, pure 

 white, in numerous compact corymbs. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



S. Van Houttei. -A beautiful bush 5-8 

 ft. high, said to be a cross between S. 

 media and S. trilobata. In late spring it 

 produces masses of pure white bloom 

 almost hiding the deep green foliage. 

 After flowering the shoots that have 

 borne blossoms should be thinned out, 

 and new shoots will break away and pro- 

 duce an abundance of bloom the following 

 season. This Spiraea is now grown rather 

 extensively in pots and gently forced into 

 early blossom in greenhouses. 



Culture dc. as above, p. 365. 



NEILLIA (Nine Bark).— A genus of 

 4 or 5 species of branching shrubs, with 

 simple or variously lobed and toothed 

 leaves, and large deciduous stipules. 

 Flowers in racemes or panicles, herma- 

 phrodite. Calyx more or less bell-shaped, 

 5-lobed. Petals 5, inserted at the mouth 

 of the calyx, shortly clawed. Stamens 10 

 or more, inserted with the petals. Carpels 

 1-5, sessile or shortly stalked, free or 

 connate. 



Culture and Propagation. — These 

 plants thrive in rich loam, but do well in 

 ordinary soil, and are suitable for shrub- 

 beries, borders, or grassland. They may 

 be increased by cuttings of almost ripe 

 wood, inserted in sandy soil under a glass. 

 Seeds are also ripened freely in ordinary 

 good seasons and may be sown in cold 

 frames as soon as ripe. In spring, the 

 seedlings may be transplanted to light 

 rich soil, in warm and sheltered spots. 



N. amurensis (Spircea amurensis). — 

 A native of Amur 4-7 ft. high, with some- 

 what cordate-roundish 3-5-lobed leaves ; 

 lobes acute, sharply serrate, white and 

 downy beneath. Flowers in summer, 

 white ; filaments of stamens reddish. 



Culture dc. as above. 



N. opulifolia {Spircea opulifoUa). — 

 A beautiful N. American shrub 5 ft. high, 

 with roundish somewhat palmately 3- 

 lobed and heart-shaped leaves. Flowers 

 in June, white, in umbellate corymbs, 

 succeeded by purplish fruits. The variety 

 lutea has beautiful yellow-tinted foliage, 

 looking well in the distance. The variety 



