A New American Flowering Tree— john dunbar. 
TALL GROWING TREE FORM OF THE WELL KNOWN SILVER BELL DISCOVERED IN THE CITY PARKS— ITS 
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION — PERHAPS YOU ALSO HAVE IT IN YOUR GARDEN 
I N THE spring of 1893 a few plants of the 
Snowdrop Tree or Silver Bell (Halesia 
carolinum) were purchased from the 
Ellwanger & Barry nurseries, this city, 
and a number were bought at the same time 
from H. P. Kelsey of North Carolina. They 
were from four to five years old and were 
planted in a group in one of the parks of the 
city park system. 
In a few years, when they began to flower 
and show normal characters, I noticed two 
distinct forms. The plants that came from 
Ellwanger & Barr\' branched at the base into a 
number of equal stems and did not form cen- 
tral shafts. Those from H. P. Kelsey started 
to grow at once into arborescent habits, form- 
ing distinct single stems. This latter tree form 
has much larger flowers and larger leaves, and 
other specific characters that separate it from 
the low branching form. I began to investi- 
gate the Halesias in cultivation, and noticed 
that all represented this lower growing form, 
with the smaller leaves and flowers. The 
handsome tree form I did not see anywhere. 
About ten or twelve years ago I called the 
attention of Dr. C. S. Sargent, Director of the 
Arnold Arboretum, to the two forms. He sug- 
gested the raising of seedlings from the tree 
form. I had previously sowed the seeds, and 
when the seedlings were large enough I sent 
a few to the Arnold Aboretum. The j’oung 
seedlings sent to Dr. Sargent and these grown 
in the parks here, when they were large enough 
to flower, agreed perfectly with the parents. 
The recently recognized tree form of Silver Bell, which 
attains a height of IR) feet and is'the hardier (Halesia carol- 
ihum monhcola) 
THE BUSH FORM 
Halesia carolinum: spreading at 
tht base into a number of stout stems, 
with branches slightly spreading, but 
mostly ascending, growing 15 to 20 
feet, perhaps in a wild state 30 to 
35 ft. Leaves 3 to 4 in. long, if to 
2 in. wide, acute at the apex, rounded 
at base, densely stellate pubescent 
when unfolding; at maturity scat- 
tered pale hairs above, pubescent on 
veins below; petioles stout, with scat- 
tered hairs at maturity, to As in. 
long. Flowers in clusters of two 
to four, to \ in. wide; pedicles 
A to A in. long. Fruits 4-winged, 
if to I ^ in. 
The white bell-shaped flowers of the tree and bush forms ol Halesia caro- 
linuni (or telraptera) differ in size, those of the tree form being the larger 
It may appear strange that this handsome 
tree form, with its showy flowers, hag been 
overlooked for so many years by American 
botanists, but such appears to have been the 
case, as the low 
branching form, with 
the smaller leaves, is 
the one that American 
botanists and dendrol- 
ogists have had under 
observation. The 
plants of the tree form 
were received as the 
common form of Hal- 
esia carolinum, and it 
was not supposed to 
be anything diflFerent 
from what was usually 
sold in American nur- 
series until it came 
under observation in 
the parks here. 
The first published 
reference to this tree 
is in the Bulletin of 
Popular Information 
Arnold Arboretum, 
October 22, 1915. In 
the “Standard Cyclo- 
pedia of American 
Horticulture,” Vol. 
III., .Alfred Rehder 
describes this new tree 
Silver Bell as Halesia 
carolinum monticola. 
Dr. Sargent states 
that it is now observed 
that the low branch 
ing form grows at low 
altitudes. The tree 
form, occurring on the high slopes, grows to 
eighty or ninety feet with a trunk three feet in 
diameter, sometimes without branches sixty 
feet from the base. Both forms appear to 
have about the same range (from West Vir- 
ginia to Southern Illinois, Northern Florida 
and Eastern Texas). The tree form, ascend- 
ing to much higher altitudes, is consequently 
the hardier of the two. 
In talking with Dr. Sargent at the Arbore- 
tum last September about this Hal- 
esia of the high slopes, he remarked 
that this was somewhat a reversal 
from the usual habits of trees. Low 
species of the same genus usually 
growing on the higher altitudes, and 
vice versa. In order to aid m the 
understanding of the two forms, I 
will describe them: 
THE TREE FORM 
Halesia carolinum monticola; tree with one 
clean stem growing into a pyramidal head 
30 to 35 ft. in culti- 
vation, and no doubt 
in fifty or sixty years 
will grow into a large 
tree; in the wild state 
from 80 to 90 ft. 
Leaves 5 to 6 in. long, 
1 5 to 25 in. wide, curv- 
ing acuminate at the 
apex, rounded at base, 
stellate pubescent 
when unfolding; at 
maturity glabrous or 
nearly so; petioles 
slender, i to Li in. 
long, smooth at ma- 
turity. Flowers in 
clusters of two to four, 
ii to 11 in. wide; 
pedicles f to | in. 
long. Fruits 4- 
winged, if to 2 in. 
long. 
The largest indi- 
vidual of the tree 
form of the Silver Bell 
with us is now two 
feet in circumference 
four feet above the 
base, and is more than 
thirty feet in height. 
It is a remarkably 
beautiful object in 
flower. It certainly 
is one of the most 
beautiful trees that 
can be cultivated in parks and gardens in 
this climate. As it comes perfectly true from 
seed, I see no reason why it should not be 
regarded as a good species. 
[Our readers should look around, since it is 
more than probable that respectable speci- 
mens of the tall growing Silver Bell are scat- 
tered through gardens. We should be glad to 
learn of any such discoveries that may be made 
by our readers. — Ed.] 
The older known and generally distributed Silver Bell 
(Halesia carolinum) has a bushy or shrubby habit. Covered 
with white flowers in May 
1(5 
