346 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GAEDENINa. 



S. Aruncus is the Goat's-h.ead Spiraea, a vigorous 

 and stately perennial, a native of Europe, Asia, and 

 America, growing to a height of four feet, producing 

 in summer small white flowers, freely produced in 

 long spikes forming a terminal panicle. It does well 

 in the open border, and if roots be taken up in the 

 autumn, and put into pots, it forces well in early 

 spring. 



S. japonica, as it is termed, but subsequently known 

 as Hoteia japonica, and more recently as Astllhe ja- 

 ponica, is a well-known plant, largely used for forcing 

 in early spring, and throwing up numerous feathery 

 panicles of white flowers. 



*S'. japonlca variegata is a beautiful variegated form 

 of this, every leaf traced throughout with golden- 

 coloured veins, the flowers larger than in the case 

 of the t3'pe. Both are hardy, and should have a rich 

 moist soil. The green form is very largely grow^n on 

 the Continent, and sent to England in groat quantities 

 in autumn, where it is extensivel)" forced into bloom 

 in spring, and largely used in floral decorations. It 

 is also an excellent decorative plant for a w^arm 

 green-house when well grown in pots. It is a 

 native of Japan. 



S. palmata, the Palmate Spiraea, so named on ac- 

 count of its handsome Palm-like leaves, is one of the 

 most beautiful hardy plants in cultivation ; the deep 

 purple-red of the stems and branches passing into 

 the crimson-purple of the glorious broad corymbs of 

 flowers, contrasts finely with the foliage, which in the 

 autumn assumes beautiful tints of brown and gold. 

 It does well in a deep sandy loam, on a moist border, 

 and near to water ; it also makes a good forcing plant 

 in spring, and is largely imported from abroad for 

 this pin-pose. A variety named elcgans is said to be a 

 white form, but is not pure ; it is certainly very dis- 

 tinct, and a pretty plant, in habit and foliage very 

 similar, the pale flowers having conspicuous red 

 stamens. Both are natives of Japan. 



Ulmaria is the Meadow-sweet, or, as in Tm-ner, 

 IMede-swete, a meaningless name. Supposed to be 

 a corruption of Meadwort, or honey- wane herb. Hill, 

 in his " Herbal," states that "the flowers mixed with 

 mead give it the flavour of Greek wines,'' and this 

 is said to be unquestionably the source of the word. 

 Dr. Prior, in his "Popular Names of British Plants," 

 states that " the Latin name, licg'ma pratl, Meadow's 

 Queen, has misled our hei-balists, in their ignorance 

 of its use, to form the above strangely-compounded 

 word. Meadow-sweet." 



S. Ulmaria is a common British plant, bearing- 

 yellowish- white flowers in summer, sweet-scented, 

 small, and numerous. It is a native of Europe and 

 Britain, flourishing in borders in any soil and in waste 

 places, and, Hke the foregoing, increased by division 

 of the roots. There is a double variety of this also, 



which makes an excellent border plant ; and also one 

 with handsome variegated foliage. 



S. vcnusta is known as the Queen of the Prairie 

 — a handsome hardy perennial, a native of North 

 America and Siberia. Its lovely deep rosy-carmine 

 flow^ers are produced on stems from two to four feet 

 in height, forming huge cymes six to twelve inches 

 across. It is imdoubtedly one of the finest of the 

 Meadow-sweets, and one of the best of hardy peren- 

 nials for planting in a shady moist situation. 



A recently introduced species is S. astilhoides. It 

 is a native of Japan, and one of the most handsome 

 of hardy herbaceous perennials. The stems are fur- 

 nished with triternate leaves, and terminated 

 compound feathery branches of elegant w* hite flowers ; 

 it makes a charming jDot plant for decorative -^wx- 

 poses in the early spr ing months ; it is of free 

 growth, and its flowers are produced in the greatest 

 profusion. 



There are many Spiraeas that are hardy flowering 

 shrubs, some of great beauty — such as aricefolia, 

 which produces large feathery panicles of white 

 flowers abundantly in July ; Lindlcyana, a noble 

 shrub from the Himalaj'as, w-ith very large compound 

 leaves and immense bunches of white flowers, quite 

 hardy; opidlfoHa, with showy white flowers, succeeded 

 by red bladder-like fruit, which remain on the tree a 

 long time, and are quite as ornamental as the flowers „ 

 pachystachijs, that bears immense bunches of pinkish 

 flowers, abundantly produced ; pyunifolia, a handsome 

 species producing double white blossoms ; saliclfolia, 

 having erect spikes of rose-coloured flowers ; and 

 trilohata, when in blossom a mass of snowy flowers. 

 All the shrubby Spiraeas are free bloomers, and are 

 very gay when in flower. Most of them, however, 

 throw up suckers rather too jDrofuscly. ^ 



The Cateh-fly {Silene). — ^Uoie is the generic 

 name adopted by Linnanis from the Greek word 

 sielos, " spume or saliva," on account of the sticki- 

 ness of some of the species. The common English 

 name — Catch-fly — w-as given in consequence of 

 flies being often caught in the ^dscid fluid which, in 

 some species, surrounds parts of the stem. Siletie is 

 a ver}' numerous genus, but comparatively few are 

 cultivated generally, and of these the hardy annuals 

 find most favour. 



Of our British species, the best known are S. 

 acauUs, the Cushion Pink or Moss Campion, and 

 S. noctiflora, the Night-flowering Catcli-fly. Acaulis 

 means " stemless." Moss Campion refers to " the 

 number of heads of small green leaves, very thick set 

 together in tufts, in that manner spreading much 

 ground, and covering it like Mosse ; " so writes old 

 Parkinson. Campion is thought to be a corruption 

 of " champagne," or open country, alluding to the 



