COTONEASTER. 175 



COTONEASTER (ROCKSPRAY). 



Long outside the waves of fashion and 

 at present taking a too modest place 

 in gardens, these shrubs deserve much 

 more attention. One good kind has 

 trailed for many years over cottage walls, 

 but some of the dwarfer sorts so good 

 for the rock garden are seldom well 

 used, and the large species, so brilliant 

 in fruit in the autumn, are not much 

 planted and are rarely grouped effec- 

 tively. One beautiful kind of recent 

 introduction is the most brilliant of all 

 rock shrubs when once fairly establish- 

 ed, and throws its frond-like branches 

 away from the rocks. Some of those re- 

 cently introduced from China by Mons. 

 Maurice de Vilmorin are also likely to 

 be valuable bushes for our rock gar- 

 dens. Being high mountain plants, they 

 have the merit of hardiness and are of 

 the easiest cultivation and increase in 

 various soils. In districts where, owing 

 to drought or other causes, there may 

 be a difficulty in growing alpine plants 

 of the ordinary kinds, these would come 

 in very well to clothe rocks. The best 

 account of the family has been written 

 by Herr H. Zabel, of Gotha, with whose 

 permission we translate and reproduce 

 the following : Allied to the stone-fruit- 

 ed Pomacea, the Rockspray are low- 

 lying shrubs, seldom attaining to the 

 dignity of a tree, with blossoms white 

 or rose-colour, borne singly or in um- 

 bels and formed of five petals with an- 

 thers seldom more or less than twenty in 

 number. The berry-like fruit is usually 

 bright red or black. The race is found 

 all over Europe, North Africa and Asia 



(where the climate is not too hot) with 

 the exception of the far East. The great- 

 est number, as also the dwarfest kinds, 

 are found in the Himalayas ; one kind, 

 as yet undescribed, has Mexico for its 

 habitat. More especially deserving the 

 notice of planters is the red-fruiting 

 dwarf Rockspray, this being among the 

 handsomest of shrubs for the garden in 

 winter ; but the black-fruited kinds are 

 also handsome in leaf and well deserv- 

 ing of attention. In a few instances only 

 are the flowers showy. 



C. vulgaris (Lindley) ; integerrima of many 

 authors. — A red-fruiting kind, with white and 

 red-stained, or rose-coloured blossoms with 

 erected petals. This is generally an erect, 

 woody shrub some 4 feet high ; on the young 

 plants the shoots are yellow and covered with 

 a grey down, but later on they turn to a red- 

 brown colour and become almost smooth. In 

 summer the leaves are green and the leaf-stalks 

 short. In the young leaf the upper side is 

 smooth and dark green, the under sides being 

 more or less covered with greyish hairs, the 

 edges knotched ; the tip ends in a spine. The 

 blossoms are borne on short, drooping, side 

 twigs in umbels of two to four or, more sel- 

 dom, singly. They appear about the end of 

 April or beginning of May, are small in size 

 and pale red. The fruit, which mostly droops, 

 is round, and in colour varies from scarlet to 

 purple-red, each berry containing not more 

 than three stones. It is found almost all over 

 Europe, the East, and in Western Asia as far 

 as Siberia. The following are varieties : — De- 

 pressa is a rather thorny kind, with lance- 

 shaped leaves, and golden-coloured fruit con- 

 taining four stones ; it is found on the cliffs at 

 Warben, in Sweden. Leucocarpa, with white 

 fruit ; Podolia. Borea/is, with leaves rather lar- 

 ger than in the type and not so thickly haired. 

 Intermedia, single flowered, with leaves covered 

 with soft down on the under sides. The Soon- 

 garia Mountains and the Caucasus. (By some 



