TREES AND SHRUBS. 



349 



mentose beneath ; the catkin-bearing twigs, gathered 

 at Easter, constitute the so-called Palm-branches. 

 The variety pendula, the Kilmarnock Weeping 

 Willow, is an ornamental variety of very formal 

 habit. Like other Willows of similar habit, it must 

 be grafted on tall stems of some common species. 



A', fray His, the Crack Willow or Withy, fre- 

 quently exceeds the White Willow in height, and 

 equals it in girth of stem ; it has smooth, polished, 

 easily-detached twigs, and lanceolate, long acuminate, 

 glabrous, glandular, serrate leaves, pale or glaucous 

 beneath. 



S. purpurea, the Purple Osier, is a distinct, erect 

 or decumbent shrub, with thin linear-lanceolate, 

 serrulate, glabrous leaves, and tough, slender twigs, 

 with red or ptirple bark. Fendula, the so-called 

 American Weeping Willow, is a form, and a very 

 ornamental one, of this species. 



S. repens, a variable species, with small, silvery, 

 silken leaves, is frequently grafted standard-high on 

 tall clean-grown stems of some of the stronger- 

 growing Willows, and when so treated is useful for 

 many purposes for which its small stature on its own 

 roots would exclude it. S. Woolscyana is a garden 

 name for one of the numerous forms of this widely- 

 distributed and variable plant. 



Sambucus {Elder). — The following two species, 

 and their varieties, are the most ornamental of the 

 Elders in cultivation: — S. niyra, our native Elder, is 

 too well known to need description ; there are, how- 

 ever, a considerable number of garden forms, some 

 of which are amongst the most desirable of deciduous 

 foliage shrubs. Foremost among these is aurea, one 

 of the best and brightest, as well as one of the 

 most easily-grown shrubs with golden leaves. 

 Laciniata has the leaves finely cut. In addition to 

 these there are varieties with variegated leaves, and 

 others in which the leaflets differ from those of the 

 type in outline. The colour of the fruit varies too ; 

 there are forms in which these are whitish or 

 greenish. S. racemosa, a European species, is remark- 

 able for its large clusters of coral-red fruits, and two 

 or three forms, with variously-cut leaves, are well 

 worth growing for the foliage alone. Unlike S. 

 niyra, which thrives under almost any conditions, 

 S. racemosa requires a cool spot ; if planted in an 

 open dry place it is more than probable that the 

 plant does not succeed, and the beautiful brightly- 

 coloured fruits are not produced. 



Sassafras officinale is a small tree, ranging 

 from fifteen to fifty feet in height, nearly allied to 

 the Sweet Bay, &c, from which, however, it differs 

 markedly in its four-valved anthers. It has rough, 

 spicy-aromatic bark, yellowish-green twigs, and 



greenish-yellow flowers in clusters, appearing with 

 the ovate entire or three-lobed leaves. A native of 

 the Eastern United States. This was formerly, and 

 in some works is still, known under the name of 

 Laurus sassafras. 



Shepherdia contains, but three species, all na- 

 tives of North America. Decidedly the most orna- 

 mental one is S. argentea, the Buffalo-berry of Upper 

 Missouri ; this has narrow leaves, silvery on both 

 surfaces, and edible, acid, scarlet fruits. It is quite 

 hardy in this country, and perhaps thrives best in 

 a strong damp soil ; the plant most frequently met 

 with under this name in gardens is Elceaynus aryentea, 

 which is not unlike the real Buffalo-berry in general 

 aspect. 



Skimmia is a small genus of evergreen shrubs 

 belonging to the Rue family. The first species 

 introduced — viz. , S. Japonica — is the best for general 

 ornamental purposes ; it has terminal panicles of 

 whitish flowers, succeeded by showy scarlet berries. 

 In its native country it is said to grow six feet high ; 

 under cultivation it is rarely seen above two feet 

 high. S. oblata has larger leaves and berries, and is 

 a more robust grower, but the flowers in this seem 

 practically unisexual ; therefore, in order to secure 

 berries it is necessary to plant the two sexes. Both 

 the preceding seem to like a peaty soil best, but 

 they will grow well in spots in which peat is alto- 

 gether absent ; a strong clay for instance. They are 

 readily raised from cuttings or seeds. 



Sophora Japonica, a native of Japan and 

 China, is one of the most ornamental of hardy, 

 deciduous, leguminous trees. It retains its dark 

 green unequally pinnate leaves until frost, and, 

 unlike some of its allies, they are not shed and do 

 not discolour during dry seasons in summer. The 

 large-branched panicles of small Pea-shaped flowers 

 develop in August and September, and give a 

 peculiar aspect to the tree. A weeping variety of 

 this — where it does well — is one of the prettiest of 

 weeping trees. 



Spartiumjunceum,the Yellow Spanish Broom, 

 produces large, golden-yellow, fragrant flowers in 

 terminal racemes in July and August. It is a 

 rapid grower, is readily raised from seed, and is 

 one of the best of flowering shrubs for planting on 

 poor, dry, gravelly banks. A double-flowered form 

 is interesting, but hardly so desirable as the type. 



Spiraea. — This genus contributes rather largely 

 to the out-door decoration of British gardens. A 

 large number of shrubby species have been intro- 



