98 HARDY PERENNIALS 
Belamcanda punctata. — Though Iris-Hke in foHage 
the flowers of this plant are more hly-hke in form. 
They are borne in loose branching umbels, a few only 
opening at a time. The colour is deep orange 
spotted with reddish brown. The plant likes a 
warm position but a moist root-run. It is a curiosity 
rather than a plant of great utility. 
Bocconia. — Except in very confined space, where 
we perforce restrict our selection to those plants 
that occupy the smallest amount of room, we may 
take it as a general necessity or at any rate desirable 
that a few individual plants shall rise boldly and 
conspicuously above the general mass. In some 
cases massive form is required as well as height, but 
often elegance, and airiness or lightness are prefer- 
able characteristics, and under these conditions 
Bocconia cordata and B. microcarpa are plants that 
worthily command our attention. 
The stems of these plants rise erect to a height of 
anything from six to eight or nine feet. They are 
loosely furnished with handsome leaves with deeply 
scalloped edges, the upper surface being rather 
dark green, whilst the under surface of the leaves 
and the whole of the stems are covered with a thick 
white tomentum. High above the foliage a waving 
mass of flowers in loose, shimmering panicles strikes 
the eye from a distance with an appearance of 
creamy vapour. A grand effect is produced if a 
big clump can be viewed against a background of 
Cedar trees. The roots are of peculiar appearance, 
