996 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



corymbs large. (Don's Mill., in. p. 233.) 

 A native of Florida, growing from 4 ft. 

 to 6 ft. high. It was introduced in 1803, 

 and flowers from June to September. 

 This is by far the most interesting of the 

 North American hydrangeas, from its large, 

 deeply lobed, and sinuated leaves; and its ^J^. 

 fine, large, nearly white corymbs of flowers, f - ' 

 which are sterile, and appear from June 

 till they are destroyed by frost. Culture 

 as in the preceding species ; but it is essen- 

 tial that the situation be sheltered, and the 

 soil kept somewhat moist, otherwise the 

 leaves are not perfectly developed, and the 

 branches are apt to be broken off by high 

 winds. Price of plants in the London nur- 

 series, 2s. 6d. each. 



B. Species Natives of Asia. 

 £ 5. H. heteroma'lla D. Don. The diverse -haired-leaved Hydrangea. 



Identification. D. Don Prod. Fl. Nep., p. 211. ; Don's Mill., 3. p. 233. 



Spec. Char., <$*c. Leaves oval, acuminated, sharply serrated, tomentose be- 

 neath, 5 in. long, and nearly 3 in. broad. Corymbs supra-decompound, dif- 

 fuse, pilose. Sepals of sterile flowers roundish-oval, quite entire. Flowers 

 white. (Don's Mill., iii. p. 233.) A native of Nepal, at Gosainthan ; 

 where it forms a shrub, growing from 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. Introduced in 1821. 



App. i. Half-hardy Species of Hydrangea. 



Sfe H. HorUnsiz Sieb., H hortensis Smith, Hortens/a opuloWes Lam., H. specibsa Pers., Pri- 

 mula mutabilis Lour., Hburnum serratum and V. tomentosum Thunb., the Chinese Guelder 

 Rose (Bot. Mag., t. 438. ; and our fig. 752.) is well known by its ample 

 corymbs of snow-ball-likc flowers, which are of a whitish green when 

 they first appear, but which afterwards become of a fine rose-co- 

 lour, and finally die off with a purplish tinge. It is called Temeri- 

 hona (that is, the globe flower) by the Japanese, and Fun-Dan-Kwa 

 by the Chinese. In Europe, it was named, by the celebrated Com- 

 merson, in honour of Madame Hortense Lapeaute, the wife of his 

 most particular friend M. Lapeaute, a watchmaker. Commerson first 

 named it Lapeaute ; but, in order that the compliment paid to Ma- 

 dame Lapeaute might be the more direct, he changed the name to 

 that of Hort^nsm, from her Christian name, Hortense. The plant 

 was afterwards discovered to be a species of Hydrangea, a genus pre- 

 viously established by Gronovius : but the name of Hortense was 

 retained as its specific appellation ; and it is still the common name 

 by which the plant is known in French gardens. In Britain, it is 

 so hardy, that, in the neighbourhood of London, and in all mild situ- 

 ations not far distant from, and not much above the level of, the 

 sea, it will stand as a bush in the open ground, dying down to the roots 

 in severe winters, but springing up again with great luxuriance the following year; and, if the soil 

 be rich, and kept moist, flowering freely during great part of the summer. 



The hydrangea is said, in the Nouveau Du Hamel, to have been cultivated in the Isle of France, in 

 1789 or before; and it was brought to the Kew Garden, from China, in 1790, by Sir Joseph Banks. 

 It soon became popular throughout England, and eminently so about Paris. 



The Culture of this land of Hydrangea is remarkably easy; and the plant is particularly suitable 

 for persons who have little else to do than attend to their garden, or their green-house; because it 

 cannot receive too much water, and droops immediately if water has been withheld ; reviving rapidly, 

 when apparently almost dead, very soon after water has been given to it. Cuttings maybe put in at any 

 season ; and, if this be done when the plant is in a growing state, they will root in a fortnight; and, 

 if transplanted into rich moist soil, they will flower in a month. Few shrubby plants make a more 

 magnificent appearance on a lawn ; particularly when planted in peat or boggy soil, in a moist situ- 

 ation, partially shaded. To keep the plant in a vigorous state, none of the wood should ever be more 

 than thrc-'years old :"and there should, therefore, be a succession of two years' old shoots kept up, to 

 supply the place of those which are cut out annually. 



Hydrangeas. A remarkable circumstance in the culture of the hydrangea is, that, when 

 it ii placed in certain soils, the flowers, instead of being of the usual pink colour, become of a fine 

 blue. This we have already noticed (p. 216.) as affording an example of what De Candolle calls 

 a variation in plants, as contradistinguished from a variety; the latter being capable of being 

 eonttooed by propagation, but not the former. Various conjectures have been made as to the cause 

 of this blue colour. The most general seem to be, that it is owing either to the presence of alum, or 

 that, of OXidC of iron ; but, nevertheless, watering the plant with alum, or chalybeate water, will not 

 • i every toil, though it appears to do so in some. The flowers are sometimes blue in 



