326 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



V. Coignetice (V. congesta) (fig. 405). — A recent intro- 

 duction from Japan. It is not unlike V. vinifera in habit, 

 but the leaves are larger, rounded, but little lobed, and 



covered beneath with a 

 brownish felt. In autumn 

 they change from dark- 

 green to a rich crimson. 

 A finer garden plant 

 than any of the North 

 American Vines. 1893. 



V. heterophylla. — The 

 hop-leaved variety — hu- 

 mulifolia — is a slender- 

 growing kind with small 

 lobed leaves; its small 

 spherical fruits are of a 

 pale turquoise-blue col- 

 our, and are frequently 

 borne in profusion. It 

 requires a rather warm, 

 dry position, preferably 

 a south wall. Japan, 

 1868. 



V. Labrusca. — A 

 strong-growing species 

 from North America; its 

 large coarse leaves being 

 covered on the lower sur- 

 face with a thick reddish 

 felt. 1656. 



V.nparia { V.odoratis- 

 sirna). — A woody climber 

 with the same habit as 

 the common Grape Vine, 

 growing 20 to 30 feet 

 high, and furnished with 

 tendrils. The leaves are 

 heart - shaped, 4 to 6 

 inches across, shallowly 

 three-cleft and toothed 

 at the edge, and the small 

 greenish -yellow flowers 

 are remarkably sweet- 

 scented with the odour 

 of Mignonette. The fruit is of no value. North America, 

 1806. 



V. vinifera, Grape Vine. — A well-known tendril-bear- 

 ing woody climber, useful for covering walls or pillars. 

 It will grow from 20 to 50 feet, and may be trained 

 within any desired limit. The leaves are lobed and 

 toothed, and the ripe fruit edible. The Parsley-leaved 

 and the Miller's Grape have remarkable foliage, the for- 

 mer cut into narrow segments, and the latter white with 

 hoaiy down. In the Teinturier Grape the leaves die off 

 a beautiful claret-red. Almost all the varieties may be 

 cultivated for their foliage in the open air, and some of 

 the hardier sorts, as Royal Muscadine and the Miller's 

 Grape, occasionally ripen good serviceable fruit. 



Wistaria. — A genus of beautiful deciduous climbers, 

 natives of Japan, China, and the United States. The 

 flowers are papilionaceous and are produced in pendent 

 racemes. Leaves pinnate. Although the species flower 

 most profusely, they only ripen seeds in this country 

 after exceptionally warm summers ; they can, however, 

 be readily propagated by layering. 



IT', chinensis. — A valuable climber often used on the 

 walls of dwelling-houses, &c, and sometimes for climbing 

 over large trees. The bluish -lilac flowers are borne in 



Fig. 405.— Vitis Coignetiae. 



May and June. There are white, double, and variegated 

 varieties in cultivation. China, 1816. 



W. multijuga. — Remarkable for the length of its 

 racemes, which are from 1^ to 1\ feet long. The flowers 

 are lilac-coloured, smaller than those of W. chinensis, and 

 not so densely packed on the raceme. Japan, 1874. W. 

 frutescens, a North American species, and its var. magni- 

 fied, both with lilac-purple, fragrant flowers" and W. 

 japonica with white flowers, are also desirable plants. 



Xanthoceras sorbifolia. — A handsome small tree allied 

 to the Horse-Chestnut, but resembling the Mountain Ash, 

 The flowers are white with a purple eye, borne in terminal 

 racemes. Northern China, 1874. 



Yucca. — The hardy species form a distinct feature in 

 the garden. They are tufted, or form stems from 6 to 

 10 feet high; leaves sword-shaped, often sharp- pointed" 

 flowers large, bell-shaped, white, in large much-branched 

 panicles. The hardy species are natives of the southern 

 states of North America, and they succeed best in a well- 

 drained warm soil, on mounds, and in the vicinity of the 

 sea. 



Y. gloriosa is the hardiest and the most free-flowering; 

 it forms a branched stem, 6 feet or more in height in 

 favourable situations. Y. vecurvifolia (fig. 406) is a similar 

 plant, but it has recurved, not sharp-pointed leaves. Y. 



Fig. 406. — Yucca recurvifolia. 



angustifolia has narrow leaves 2 feet in length, furnished 

 with numerous filaments on the margins, and is very hand- 

 some when in flower. Y. filamentosa is almost stemless, 

 and is remarkable for the loose threads on the margin of 

 the leaves. There are several other handsome species 

 and varieties that would succeed in the south-west. 



Zelkowa crenata {Planera Richardi). — An ornamental 

 tree 50 to 60 feet high, resembling an Elm in foliage, 

 but with a smooth bark, and a much -branched crown 

 like an erect-growing Beech. Western Asia, 1760. 



