350 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



duced to cultivation, and from these a host of 

 hybrids and garden forms have originated. The 

 more remarkable of the species are mentioned below. 

 They are of the easiest cultivation, succeeding in 

 almost any soil or situation. Most produce suckers 

 from the roots, and these furnish the most rapid 

 means of increasing the stock of any particular 

 bush ; cuttings of the half -ripened or young wood 

 strike readily under glass, and seeds ripened in this 

 country germinate freely. 



S. aricefolia, a native of North-western America, 

 makes a beautiful specimen plant if placed under 

 ■conditions where it can be allowed to develop fully 

 and produce its profusion of small whitish flowers ; 

 these are borne in large, terminal, feathery panicles 

 in June and July. The leaves are somewhat like 

 those of the White Beam-tree (Pyrus aria) in outline, 

 hence the specific name. 



S. bella, from Nepaul, has ovate-acute, serrate, 

 glabrous leaves, and terminal spreading cymes of 

 rosy-red flowers ; it grows about three feet high, 

 less than half the height of 8. aricefolia. 



S. chamcedrifolia and 8. confusa are two nearly- 

 allied Asiatic species, with crenately-lobed leaves and 

 corymbs of pure white flowers. Both are very flori- 

 ferous species, and are well adapted for forcing. 



8. Pouglasii, a North-west American plant, has 

 simple oblong-lanceolate obtuse leaves, the under 

 surfaces of which are clothed with a white tomentum. 

 The red flowers are borne in a large, dense, terminal 

 thyrsoid panicle. 



8. Lindleyana, a Himalayan species, has large 

 unequally pinnate leaves, and large much-branched 

 terminal panicles of white flowers, which open in 

 September. 



8. Nobleana is a near ally of S. Douglasii, but 

 differs from it in its later inflorescence and purplish- 

 red flowers ; it is also a native of North-western 

 America. 



8. prunifolia is a Japanese species, with small 

 glabrous lanceolate leaves, and clusters of pure white 

 double flowers, produced in spring, the whole length 

 of the slender branches ; the form generally met with 

 has double flowers, the single-flowered one being as 

 yet very rare. 



S. sorbifolia somewhat resembles S. Lindleyana ; it 

 however rarely exceeds three or four feet in height, 

 whilst its ally grows double that size ; the smaller 

 terminal panicles of white flowers, too, are erect, and 

 not arching as in that species. 



8. Thunbergii is a very beautiful dwarf-growing 

 Japanese species, with narrow linear, light green, 

 glabrous leaves, and starry pure white flowers, pro- 

 duced from the axils of the leaves the whole length 

 of the branches ; it is a charming plant for pot cul- 

 ture and forces freely. 



Staphylsea. — In this genus there are only four 



or five species, and all of them are pretty deciduous 

 shrubs. 8. Cvlehica, from Western Asia, is a compact 

 grower, and produces panicles or racemes of white 

 flowers in spring ; it is an excellent plant for the 

 shrubbery or for growing in pots for forcing pur- 

 poses. 8. pinnata, the common Bladder-nut, is here 

 and there naturalised in Britain; it has unequally 

 pinnate leaves and grows about six or eight feet high 

 — a native of Central Europe. 8. trifoliata, a native 

 of the Eastern United States, differs from its Euro- 

 pean ally in having trifoliolate leaves and larger 

 white flowers. 



Styrax. — A small genus of deciduous shrubs 

 represented in the European flora by 8. officinale, 

 which furnishes the storax of the shops, and by 

 three American and two or three Japanese species. 

 One of the latter, Styrax Japonica, is a handsome 

 plant with long-stalked, pendulous, snow-white 

 flowers, and thin, oval, shortly -stalked, glabrous leaves. 

 It flowers in June, and the pure white corollas and 

 golden anthers form a pleasing contrast to the bright 

 green leaves. 8. Americana has axillary three or 

 four-flowered racemes, and oblong leaves tapering to 

 both ends ; it is not, howevei-, so handsome as the 

 species just mentioned. Both like peaty soil, but do 

 well in ordinary loam. Propagated hy cuttings 

 inserted in sandy peat under a hand-glass in June or 

 July. 



Symphoricarpus. — All the members of this 

 genus are natives of North America, and are easily- 

 grown deciduous shrubs. The best known is S. 

 racemosus, the Snow-berry, with its loose, somewhat 

 leafy, interrupted spike of small white flowers, fol- 

 lowed by large bright white berries. This is an 

 excellent plant for naturalising in the wild garden. 

 S. occidentalis, the Wolf -berry, has larger flowers 

 and smaller white berries. S. vulgaris, the Indian 

 Currant or Corai -berry, has small dark red berries ; 

 there is a form of this, too, with golden-variegated 

 leaves, but in most places it shows a decided dis- 

 position to revert to the type. 



Syringa (Lilac). — Probably all the true species of 

 Lilac in cultivation are mentioned in these notes, and 

 the wild types — although some of them for general 

 decorative purposes are far surpassed by hybrids and 

 forms of garden origin — are thoroughly well worth 

 a place in any garden. 8. Amurensis, a native of 

 Amurland, is the most recent introduction ; it is a 

 dwarf-growing bush with ovate or roundish leaves, 

 and panicles of creamy-white flowers. S. dubia, the 

 Siberian Lilac, passes muster in most gardens as 

 S. Persica, from which, however, it widely differs ; it 



