NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



605 



nearest the inflorescence are a lovely pink edged with green, like some 

 Eupliorbiaceac. The flowers occur in long branched spikes, and are of 

 a quite peculiar reddish-orange colour, stalked, and soon followed by 

 globose fruits containing very numerous tiny seeds. The plant is 

 naturally much branched, and forms towards the flowering period a 

 broad and compact shrub. The plant has a branching rhizome and 

 throws up a quantity of very short shoots, which at once begin to 

 flower if the cold does not prevent them. It will form, therefore, a 

 useful plant in the greenhouse. There it flowers at the beginning of 

 February. The soil for it must be light but rich, manured, and mixed 

 with sand. It can be used largely for cut flowers, which would have 

 a good market sale. It will be quite hardy throughout Italy — at least 

 along the coast. — W. C. W. 



Magnolias with Deciduous Leaves. J >y A. Pucci (Bull. 

 B. Soc. Tosc. Ort. 6, 1907, p. 162).— The strongest and oldest is 

 M. Yulan Desf. or M. conspicua ttalisb., from China, which has fine, 

 white, odorous flowers, opening a little before the leaves come out. The 

 Chinese make it the symbol of whiteness. The young flower-buds are 

 used in vinegar as capers. It may attain about 50 feet in height, but in 

 Italy reaches only 25 or 80 feet. It flowers in temperate climes in 

 March ; if the flowering shoots are pruned in February, and placed in a 

 pot full of water in a warm house, the flowers open earlier. The species 

 has an important variety, viz. Alexandrina, which flowers later and has 

 large white flowers tinged with violet-purple : there is also a variety with 

 leaves variegated with gold . 



M. Campbclli Hook. f. & Toms is a native of Bhutan, where it grows 

 at a height of 8,000 or 0,000 feet ; it was discovered by Griffith. It is 

 about DO or 100 feet high ; flowers in April, before leaves come out ; the 

 flowers are the largest in the genus, measuring about a foot in diameter. 



M. stellata Hook., also called Halleana Robins and Halleana 

 stellata, is a low shrub, compact and fairly vigorous ; flowers freely in 

 March. Comes from Japan, and was introduced into Europe in 1862 ; it 

 was first described under the name of JJurgeria stellata Sieb. k Zucc. 



M. hypoleuca, from the mountains of Japan, is a majestic tree, with 

 leaves about a foot long ; the flowers are white and odorous ; the wood is 

 prized by the natives, and its ash is used for polishing and in lacquer-work ; 

 the wood is used for basket-work. M. Kobus is also from Japan : it is 

 very hardy and flowers at an early age. M. parvijlora is a small tree 

 from the alps of Nippon. M. Thurberi was introduced with M. stellata. 

 M. Watsoni Hook, comes from Japan and is allied to M. hypoleuca ; has 

 large flowers with pink sepals and creamy-white petals. A little-known 

 species is M. Wieseneri, which was sold to the grower Wiesener, of 

 Fontenay-aux-Roses, by Tokada, a Japanese grower ; it figured at the 

 Paris Exhibition of 1889, under the erroneous name of M. parvijlora. 

 It is a dwarf, bushy shrub with oval-oblong, glaucescent leaves, and 

 solitary, erect, pure-white flowers. 



M. umbrella Lamk. is a beautiful tree from Virginia and Carolina. 

 M. auricidata (M. tripetala L. and Fraseri) comes from the mountains of 

 Carolina : it was discovered by Partram and introduced into France by 



