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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Besides many varieties of the common Holly, such as the brilliant 

 1 Golden King ' — of which our plant is over 4 feet high — Ilex aquifolium 

 donning toncnsis, with its myrtle-shaped leaves, I. aquifolium ferox, 

 I. aquifolium angustifolia, and various weeping and variegated forms, 

 we have the following species : — I. opaca, with dull leaf and spiny edges. 

 I. dipyrena, 'Himalayan Holly,' similar to the last, and unlike most 

 Hollies in its dull, unpolished look ; it has brown berries and no spines. 

 I. cornuta is a beautiful plant from China, with rich green, striking 

 foliage. I. latifolia (I. Tarajo) has the largest leaf of any of the species, 

 and I know a very large plant, about seventy years old, near Bristol, 

 which might be taken at first sight for an evergreen Magnolia ; unfortu- 

 nately it is not over hardy in Hertfordshire. I. crenata microphylla 

 (I. Fortunei var.), on the other hand, is the smallest-leaved holly which 

 I know. It makes a neat, attractive shrub. Ilex glabra and I. verticillata 

 used to be treated separately, under the heading Prinos. The last named 

 and I. decidua, from the South United States, are the only deciduous 

 hollies, I believe ; and indeed it requires a botanist to recognise that they 

 are hollies at all. 



We have also Nemopanthus canadensis', formerly classed as an Ilex, 

 which, indeed, on the surface it resembles far more than some of the 

 true Ilexes which I have mentioned. 



Of the more uncommon Sumachs I can recommend Rhus Osbeckii, 

 with erect habit, very large leaves, and general resemblance to some of 

 the Elders ; B. copallina, with fifteen leaflets on a midrib, with irregular 

 leafy edging and fine autumn colour, in respect of which last it is 

 surpassed by B. cotinoides (' Chittam-wood ') with larger, longer foliage 

 than the well known Bhus cotinus. B. vernicifera, the Japanese lacquer 

 tree, has lived with us for five or six years, but I cannot pretend that it 

 has grown materially or shows enough vigour for me to give a fair account 

 of it. B. canadensis trilobata has distinct cut foliage. 



Genista radiata has a peculiar wiry growth. G. virgata has the merit 

 of seeding itself where the soil is suitable. G. pilosa and G. decumbens 

 are both low, trailing plants, flowering freely in May, and well fitted for 

 planting in rock gardens or on banks. G. tinctoria is an upright grower 

 and flowers very prettily in June. 



Pacliystima Myrsinites is a small-leaved, dwarf evergreen, not 

 calculated, as far as I can see, to arouse any great enthusiasm. 



Sambucus canadensis (otherwise known as S. pubens maxima) 

 requires plenty of room, though it may be cut hard back every year 

 with advantage ; its creamy white inflorescence, of immense size, and 

 supported by red stems to the trusses, is most conspicuous. S. Thun- 

 bergiana has not so fine a flower, but the young growth is a rich 

 purplish red in early summer, and its scarlet fruits are also decorative. 

 S. racemosa serratifolia aurea is much more refined and less garish than 

 the common golden Elder. S. racemosa tenuifolia, with its very finely cut 

 foliage and pleasing habit, might almost be taken for a Japanese maple ; 

 unhappily it is unlike most of the Elders in that it does not strike readily 

 from cuttings. Of the forms of S. nigra, S. nigra pulverulenta has quite 

 a snowy appearance in late summer. S. nigra pyramidalis and S. nigra 

 pendula make an excellent contrast to other plants if judiciously placed. 



