CELTIS 



NETTLE TREE OBDEB 



HUMULUS 787 



serrate or crenate, feather-veined leaves. 

 Flowers monoecious or polygamous, 

 almost stalkless, and borne on the current 

 year's shoots. Perianth of the male 

 flowers broadly bell-shaped with a sinuate 

 or somewhat 4-5-lobed margin. Stamens 

 4-5. Perianth of the female flowers more 

 or less deeply lobed as in the male ones. 

 Staminodes none, or very rarely perfect 

 stamens. Ovary sessile with a 2-parted 

 style. Fruit an irregularly oblique 

 roimdish or keeled drupe-like capsule. 



Culture and Propagation. — These 

 trees are but little known, and are culti- 

 vated in few gardens in the British Islands 

 outside Kew, where specimens may be 

 seen. Like the Oak, Beech, Elm, and 

 other large trees, they- are. suitable only 

 for large parks and pleasure grounds. 

 They like deep rich weU-drained soU, 

 and wo\ild flourish in the milder parts of 

 the kingdom. As seeds are rarely 

 ripened, propagation must be effected by 

 means of layering the branches in autumn, 

 and detaching the following year when 

 well rooted. They may also be grafted 

 on stocks of the common Ehn, to which, 

 as may be seen by their juxtaposition in 

 this work, they are closely related. 



Z. acuminata (Planer a acuminata). 

 A small Japanese tree with reddish bark 

 and ovaJ-elfiptic leaves often much taper- 

 ing at the apex, 2-4 in. long, strongly 

 veined, and regtilarly toothed on the 

 margins. 



Culture dc. as above. 



Z. crenata {Planera crenata). — Sibe- 

 rian Ehn. — A large ornamental tree, 

 80-100 ft. high ; native of the Caucasus, 

 with oval lanoe-shaped leathery leaves 

 3-4 in. long, coarsely crenate on the 

 margins, and deeply feather-veined. The 

 greenish strong-scented flowers appear 

 about April and May in clusters in the 

 upper leaf axils. 



Culture do. as above. I remember 

 seeing some fine specimens of this tree in 

 the Trianon Park, Versailles, in 1897, and 

 perhaps some of the finest trees in the 

 British Islands are along the banks of 

 the OherweU near Christehurch meadows, 

 Oxford, where there are two specimens 

 60-70 ft. high, with trunks about 4 ft. 

 in diameter a few feet from the ground. 



CELTIS (Nettle Tree). — A genus 

 of unarmed or spiny trees and shrubs 

 with alternate annual or perennial serrate 



or entire leaves, feather-veined and 3-5- 

 nerved, often oblique at the base and with 

 free stipules. Flowers polygamous or 

 hermaphrodite, greenish. Perianth more 

 or less 5-parted, rarely 4-parted. Stamens 

 5, rarely 4. Fruit a 1-seeded fleshy ovoid 

 or roimdish drupe, sometimes 2-keeled. 



Culture and Propagation. — The 

 Nettle Trees are useful for the back part 

 of large shrubberies, and flourish in ordi- 

 nary good loamy weU-drained soil. They 

 are increased by seeds sown as soon as 

 ripe, and by layers during the summer and 

 autumn months. Cuttings of the ripened 

 shoots wUl also root in sandy soU under 

 handlights in autumn. 



The following are a few of the best- 

 known species : — 



C. australis. — A South European tree 

 80-40 ft. high with ovate or oblong lance- 

 shaped sharply serrate leaves, rough 

 above, downy beneath. It has black 

 edible fruit. 



Culture &c. as above. 



C. davidiana. — A much - branched 

 Chinese tree with drooping twiggy 

 branches and thick leathery elliptic ir- 

 regularly toothed leaves, deep glaucous- 

 green above, paler beneath. 



Culture (£c. as above. 



C. occidentalis (C. crassifolia ; C. cor- 

 data). — Americam, Hackberry. — A Cana- 

 dian tree 30-50 ft. high with variable 

 ovate taper-pointed serrate leaves, unequal 

 at the base, rough above, hairy beneath. 

 Flowers in May, greenish. This is rather 

 an ornamental tree for grass-land in parks 

 and large gardens. A fine specimen may 

 be seen near the main gate entrance in 

 Kew Gardens. The variety pumila rarely 

 exceeds 8 ft. in height. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. Tourneforti. — A Caucasian tree 

 or shrub 10-12 ft. high, with more or 

 less heart-shaped oval pointed leaves 

 unequal at the base, and toothed or 

 crenulate on the margins. The greenish 

 flowers are succeeded by brownish-yellow 

 ovoid fruits about the size of a large pea. 



Culture dc. as above. 



HUMULUS (Hop Plant).— A genus 

 eontaioing two species of high-climbing 

 rough-haired perennial herbs with oppo- 

 site, stalked, broad, serrate, heart-shaped 

 or palmate, 5-7-nerved leaves. Flowers 

 dioecious, drooping, the male oneS in 

 panicles with a 5-parted perianth, the 



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