Distinctive American Plants 
By Edwin H. Costich, New York 
A FEW years ago it was authoritatively stated that 
fully 90 per cent, of the trees and shrubs used 
in American landscape plantings were of 
exotic origin, and that only 10 per cent, were 
American. It needs only a glance at the catalogues 
of American nurserymen of that time and a brief 
survey of almost any landscape planting to bear out 
this statement. And only during the past few years have 
our native trees, shrubs and perennial plants begun to 
receive a fair portion of the attention they deserve. It is 
true that some planters have used native plants very ex- 
Cotirtesy of Hick's Nurseries. 
Stuartia Fciitagyna, (Mountain Stnrlia) Surynuiidcd with Kaliuia 
{Mountain Laurel.') 
tensively for a good many years, especially in designing 
large places, and that a few of our native trees and shrubs 
are old standbys in landscape work, but when it is con- 
sidered that there are probably over two thousand species 
and varieties of trees and shrubs alone, native to North 
America, and that of these not more than two or three 
hundred are in general use, it is easy to see that the widest 
use of our native flora has \et to be attained. 
It is not that the countless European, Asiatic, particu- 
larly Chinese and Japanese plants, are not worth while, 
for they most certainly are, but that the greater number 
of our native trees and shrubs are better suited, being 
naturally adapted to the varied conditions under which 
they are found growing native. It is far more satisfactory 
to plant our own Azalea (now Rhododendron) nudi- 
florum, A. viscosum, A. calendulaceum, A. arborescens, 
A. canescens, and Rhodora canadense, than to try to ac- 
climate a collection of Ghent varieties to the conditions in 
which our native plants are already thriving. And they 
are none the less beautiful and attractive, in fact they are 
more so because they are so much healthier in appearance. 
It is a sad trait of human nature that we should become 
calloused to things around us and then when they are 
brought to our minds to shun them. It is impossible to 
show a person the merits of Rhus copallina, the Shining 
Sumach, if it happens to grow wild outside his door or 
along his roadside, and yet Rhus copallina is invaluable 
for planting on dry situations and for covering banks and 
hillsides and the dark, glossy foliage is especially hand- 
some in fall coloring. Happily this idea is fast disappear- 
ing and it is pretty generally conceded that the most last- 
ing and naturalistic efifects are produced by the use of 
our native plants. 
Altogether, this is a very propitious season to advance 
the cause of American plants. The uncertainty of ship- 
ments from Europe and the added financial risk entailed, 
and the patriotic idea, much talked of just now, of using 
American made goods, are pretty good reasons for getting 
acquainted with our own native trees and shrubs, even 
though less important than the facts that American plants 
are already naturally adapted to our varied conditions of 
climate and soils and are not a whit less beautiful than 
any of the foreign introductions. 
What we need is an efficient and intensive use of our 
trees and shrubs. To illustrate, take the dififerent pines 
native of North-eastern North American from Virginia 
northward, there are seven species, three of which, Pinus 
pungens (Table Mountain Pine), Pinus virginiana 
(Jersey or Scrub Pine) and Pinus echinata (Yellow 
Pine) are seldom planted even within their known range 
of hardiness, and the picturesque Jack Pine (Pinus 
Banksiana), our northernmost pine, is too little used. 
As for our many western pines they are rarely ever seen 
e.xcept in arboretums and in a few private collections of 
conifers. It may not be amiss right here to mention a 
few worth while American trees and shrubs that should 
have a place in our gardens, but that at the present time 
are badly neglected. A complete list of such plants would 
be too cumbersome to print here and so we have noted 
Crataegus Geneseensis (.American Hawthorn.) 
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