icles of flowers followed by crimson hairy fruits, and is related to Abelia 
and Lonicera. Another beautiful plant of this family, Dipelta floribunda, 
of a genus new to cultivation, with large and showy Weigelia-like flow- 
ers, can also be numbered among the hardy Chinese plants. 
Of Wilson’s numerous Honeysuckles which are flourishing in the Ar- 
boretum we can only mention now Lonicera prostrata , which promises to 
be a useful plant for covering rocky slopes and banks. It is very hardy 
and free-growing, with prostrate stems, small oval bluish-green leaves 
small white flowers turning yellow when fading, and orange-red 
fruits; L. Henryi, a vigorous climbing plant which has preserved its 
large dark green leaves through the winter, and L. tragophylla , which 
in habit and general appearance resembles the Woodbine of Europe al- 
though the flowers are golden yellow. An important addition to very 
early-flowering shrubs is Corylopsis Veitchiana, with short pendulous 
racemes of primrose-yellow fragrant flowers produced before the leaves 
unfold. A majority of the large collection of Chinese Brambles are unin- 
jured, especially those showy species with nearly white stems, like Rubus 
lasiostylus and R. coreanus. 
Of the Grape Family at least six new species have come through the 
winter without injury. Of these perhaps the most interesting is Ampe- 
lopsis megalophylla with canes from twenty to thirty feet long and large 
divided leaves often more than three feet in diameter. The Barberries 
have probably suffered more from the winter than any of the other decid- 
uous-leaved shrubs planted in exposed situations, but many species and 
varieties of Roses, Deutzia, Philadelphus, Viburnum and Ligustrum are 
in excellent condition and promise to make important additions to these 
groups in northern gardens. 
Near the Administration Building the Asiatic Magnolias, which flower 
before the appearance of the leaves, are beginning to open their flowers; 
indeed the fragrant flowers of the shrubby Magnolia stellata and its 
pink-flowered form have been in bloom for a week. This is a perfectly 
hardy, usually free-flowering and very desirable shrub. The small flow- 
ers of Magnolia kobus from central Japan and its larger-flowered north- 
ern variety (var. borealis) are open. This northern variety is a large, 
hardy, fast-growing tree of good habit and handsome foliage, but it has 
never flowered freely here and the petals hang down in an unattractive 
way soon after the flowers open. It is a much less valuable ornamental 
plant than the Chinese M. conspicua , often called the Yulan Magnolia, 
which is one of the most beautiful of all early-flowering trees, although 
unfortunately the flowers are frequently touched by late frost or injured 
by storms. That the flowers may be seen to the greatest advantage the 
tree should be planted in front of evergreens which would also protect 
the flowers from frost. The hybrids, which have been mostly raised in 
France by crossing M. conspicua with the shrubby, purple-flowered M. 
denudata (or purpurea ), flower rather later than the species and are 
therefore less liable to suffer from frost. These hybrids have flowers 
more or less tinged or striped with purple or rose color and the best known 
are M. Soulangeana, M. Alexandrina, M. Lennei, M. Norbertiana and 
M. speciosa. 
The Forsythias are fast opening their flowers. This genus has given 
to gardens some of the most beautiful and most generally satisfactory 
of all hardy shrubs. The species are all Chinese with the exception of 
F. europea which was discovered in Albania a few years ago. As we 
are learning every year, hybrids are often more desirable garden plants 
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