As the buds do not always expand at the same time there are in the 
flower-cluster pink buds among the white flowers; the flowers are very 
fragrant. This plant, although it is still comparatively little known, 
well deserves a place in every collection of shrubs. 
As usual, the earliest Barberry to flower in the Arboretum is Ber- 
beris dictyophylla which, although it comes from the southern part of 
China, is perfectly hardy here. The flowers are solitary or occasionally 
in pairs in the axils of the leaves, rather less than half an inch in di- 
ameter and pale primrose yellow in color. The peculiar beauty of the 
plant, however, is in the leaves, which, although not large, are silvery 
white on the lower surface and in the autumn turn brilliant scarlet on 
the upper surface while the lower surface retains its spring and summer 
color. Plants of this Barberry can be seen in the Shrub Collection and 
in the supplementary collection of Barberries on Hickory Path near 
Centre Street. 
Prinsepia sinensis is uninjured by the winter and the plant on Hickory 
Path near Centre Street has flowered more profusely than ever before. 
This north China shrub is one of the first plants in the Arboretum to 
unfold its leaves in the spring, and when these are nearly fully grown 
the clear yellow axillary flowers appear. This beautiful and interesting 
shrub does not seed at all freely in the Arboretum and is still rare in 
American collections. 
Fothergilla, which is a genus of the Witch Hazel Family, confined 
to the southeastern United States, has furnished gardens with some 
beautiful shrubs. All the species bear small white flowers in compact 
clusters, at the ends of the branches, and handsome leaves resem- 
bling those of the Witch Hazels; they are just coming into bloom. 
Fothergilla major and F. montana are large, vigorous and very hardy 
shrubs, while Fothergilla Gar deni, which is a small plant and a native 
of the coast region, is less hardy than the mountain species. These 
shrubs are in the Shrub Collection and on Azalea Path, and the largest 
plant of Fothergilla major in the Arboretum is in the Witch Hazel 
Group near the pond at the junction of the Meadow and Bussey Hill 
Roads. 
The form of Rhododendron praecox known in gardens as “Little 
Gem” is usually the first of the evergreen Rhododendrons to flower in the 
Arboretum. The pale rose-pink flowers are too often injured by late 
frosts, and this year the flower-buds have been killed by cold, so that 
this spring the earliest Rhododendron in flower is a dwarf plant received 
several years ago from Germany under the name of R. Jacksonii , a name 
which does not appear in catalogues. It is evidently one of the forms 
or hybrids of R. caucasicum, although it flowers two or three weeks 
before any of the other forms of this species in the Arboretum. It is 
a low compact plant with clusters of large pale pink flowers and has 
not been at all injured by the winter. There are two specimens in the 
collection at the base of Hemlock Hill and they are well worth the 
attention of lovers of dwarf early flowering Rhododendrons. 
The Arboretum will be grateful for any publicity 
given these Bulletins. 
