The right name is Catalpa bignonioides , var. nana, but nurserymen will 
probably continue to sell it as Catalpa Bungei. Two Chinese Catalpas 
raised from seeds collected by Mr. Wilson in the eastern part of the 
empire have passed successfully through the winter but it is too soon to 
speak of their value. The Catalpas are planted in a large group on the 
eastern slope of Bussey Bill between the Ashes and the Elms, and above 
the bank occupied by the Lilac Collection. 
The flowering time of the Mock Oranges (Philadelphus) is at its height. 
The flowers of a few of the species have already fallen and the buds of 
others are still to open, but a large number of the species and hybrids 
are now at their best and the collection should be seen by all who are 
interested in handsome flowering shrubs. Attention is called to Phila- 
delphus grandiflorus, Philadelphus floridus, and Philadelphus latifolius 
from the southern Appalachian region. Of the Asiatic species now in 
flower the most interesting is perhaps Philadelphus pekinensis. This 
forms a low, broad compact bush which is covered with small flowers 
faintly tinged with yellow. Of more open habit and later to flower is 
Philadelphus sericanthus from western China. There are good speci- 
mens of this new plant in the collection on the right-hand side of Bussey 
Hill Road which are just opening their pure white slightly fragrant flow- 
ers. The innumerable flower-buds of Philadelphus microphyllus are 
slowly opening. Less showy than most of the other species, not one 
surpasses this Rocky Mountain plant in delicacy and in the fragrance of 
its small flowers, and on the whole the American species and their hybrids 
of this genus are more beautiful garden plants than the Asiatic species 
which have up to this time been introduced into the Arboretum. 
Ligustrum ibota is in flower. This Japanese and Chinese plant was 
sent to the Arboretum in 1878, and is now often seen in parks and gar- 
dens where it has been much planted in recent years. It is a broad shrub 
sometimes ten feet high, with spreading slightly recurved branches, small 
dark green leaves which turn purplish in the autumn, and short nodding 
clusters of white flowers which are produced in great quantities on short 
lateral branchlets, and which are followed by clusters of small, purplish 
black fruit often persistent on the branches until spring. This is one of 
the handsome species of the genus. Equally handsome but of very dif- 
ferent habit is its variety Regelianum. This is a much lower and denser 
shrub with horizontally spreading branches which form a broad, flat- 
topped head and larger leaves. As the two plants grow side by side in 
the Shrub Collection they appear very distinct, but seedlings of the 
variety are often identical with Ligustrum ibota. The common Privet 
of western Europe and several of its varieties are also in flower in the 
Shrub Collection. 
Among the Potentillas in the Shrub Collection are two excellent plants 
for small gardens, as they do not grow to a large size and continue to 
flower for a long time. The first of these, Potentilla davurica, is a na- 
tive of eastern Siberia and is covered with white flowers which look like 
miniature Roses; and the other, Potentilla Friedrichsenii, is a hybrid 
between Potentilla davurica and the well known Potentilla fruticosa. 
This hybrid is a handsomer plant than Potentilla fruticosa which it 
resembles in habit, with rather lighter yellow flowers and is one of the 
good introductions of recent years. 
Two, at least, of the Old World Buckthorns (Rhamnus) seem destined to 
become naturalized in this part of the world. Rhamnus catharticus y the 
