THE VIBURNUMS. 



187 



noides). — A robust shrub of 6 to 8 or more feet, 

 found in swamps near the Atlantic coast of 

 North America, or in shaded woods towards 

 the southern states. Its thick leaves of dull 

 green, variable in size and outline, are covered 

 with scale-like scurfy dots beneath, and also 

 upon the stems and leaf-stalks. The yellowish- 

 white flowers appear in loose flat clusters of 

 4 or 5 inches across during June and July, fol- 

 lowed by rounded shining berries of bright pale 

 green, changing from rosy-red to bluish-black 

 when ripening. These fruit clusters are hand- 

 some and abundant, several colours hanging 

 together in the same bunch with pretty effect. 

 The plant is much used in American gardens 

 for the wilder parts of pleasure grounds and 

 shrubberies ; grown beside water it is beauti- 

 ful, thriving in wet ground. Easily increased 

 from seed or layers, but seedlings vary widely. 

 Syn. V. squamatum. 



The Indian Wayfaring Tree [V. cotini- 

 folium).—A spreading shrub or low tree reach- 

 ing 20 feet in height, with grey down-covered 

 branches. Though found at 5,000 to 7,000 

 feet in the mountain valleys of Nepaul and 

 the Himalayas, it is tender, requiring shelter 

 during our winters, or a place upon a warm 

 south wall. Its young leaves are downy but 

 wear smooth above, and grey and woolly be- 

 neath, ovate in shape, and 4 inches long by 7.\ 

 wide. The dense flower-clusters of about 3 

 inches across appear in May or June upon short 

 woolly stalks, the small white flowers, flushed 

 with pink upon first opening, being succeeded 

 by oval berries of bright scarlet in their early 

 stages, which are eaten by the natives of Ne- 

 paul. A beautiful shrub for warm districts, 

 with shelter. 



The Dahurian Guelder Rose {V. Dahu- 

 ricum). — A low spreading shrub of 6 or 8 feet, 

 with grey downy stems and small ovate leaves, 

 toothed at the edges and woolly upon both 

 sides. It is widely spread from Dahuria to 

 western China and is very hardy, thriving best 

 in light moist humus, and covered during early 

 summer with white funnel-shaped flowers in 

 small clusters ; these are followed by fragrant 

 oval berries, at first red, but black and sweet 

 to the taste when ripe in September. Easily 

 increased from cuttings of the shoots. 



The American Arrow-wood (V.dentatum) . 

 - — A bushy shrub with stout erect branches 



reaching 1 5 feet, and beautiful in moist ground, 

 from New Brunswick throughout the States. 

 The ovate leaves are thickly and deeply toothed, 

 pale green, and carried upon graceful slender 

 stems ; the leaves carry hairy tufts at the 

 branching veins of their under surface. The 

 flowers are white and thickly carried during 

 June and July when the shrub is at its best ; 

 they give place to small rounded berries of 

 bright dark blue, crowned with the shrivelled 

 calyx, and covered with a fine purplish bloom. 

 This shrub furnished the Indians with their 

 arrows. Two varieties are grown in gar- 

 dens, one with finely variegated leaves, and 

 Icevigatum, which flowers later and is larger 

 in leaf. A very handsome shrub for damp 

 ground. 



The Dilated Guelder Rose {V. dilata- 

 tum) . — A shapely shrub of erect growth, reach- 

 ing 10 feet, with greyish shoots, hairy when 

 young. A native of China and Japan, it was 

 introduced by Fortune in 1846, and though 

 quite hardy is not common in gardens. Its 

 bright green leaves resemble those of the com- 

 mon Hazel, being pointedly oval and vary 

 much in length, coarsely toothed, with a few 

 hairs on both surfaces. It is beautiful as a 

 flowering shrub, the short-stemmed clusters 

 of pure white appearing in May and June and 

 sometimes spreading into heads 6 inches across. 

 These give place to handsome scarlet berries, 

 hanging for many weeks upon the branches, 

 and making this one of the most showy of 

 hardy shrubs. 



The Korean Guelder Rose (V. erosum) . 

 — A slender much-branched shrub, common 

 in Korea and Japan, but of little save botanical 

 interest. Its broad ovate leaves are slightly 

 hairy, and the stems covered with down ; the 

 flowers, carried in loose broad heads, open in 

 May and are succeeded by red berries, but 

 with so many finer kinds it has little garden 

 value. 



The Eastern Wayfaring Tree {V.fur- 

 catum). — Though a native of the far East this 

 robust shrub is akin to the American Way- 

 faring Tree (F. lantanoides) only more erect 

 in growth. It is not without value in the 

 wilder parts of the garden for its bold foliage, 

 turning a bright red or crimson-purple in the 

 autumn. 



Hance's Guelder Rose (V. Hanceanum). 



