PARK AND CEMETERY. 
187 
ters to dark red berries. The whole head, twigs, 
fruit stems and fruit all change to a lively red color. 
The contrast between berries and foliage is most 
striking. What makes both flowers and fruit of 
more than usual value is that they are produced 
toward the close of summer, when there is a dearth 
of flowers on shrubs and trees, and in the last days 
of autumn the foliage assumes the scarlet color of 
a sumach. This aralia is one of many species, some 
of them hardy and others not, but none of them 
are superior to this for ornamental planting. It is 
a native of this country, from Pennsylvania south- 
wardly. There are a few hereabouts in semi-waste 
thickets, but I could never determine whether they 
are truly wild or have sprung from cultivated 
trees. 
It can be propagated from roots, as can all the 
species; in 
fact, about a 
good-sized 
specimen lit- 
tle ones will 
o c c a s ionally 
appear, but 
not in quanti- 
ties to be ob- 
ject i onable. 
As the illus- 
tration proves 
no little ones 
have appeared 
near the three, 
or if they have 
they have been 
removed. It is 
more common 
to find two or 
three start from one center, as these have done, 
than for shoots to appear far apart. The shoots of 
aralia are not at all spreading, but the immense 
compound leaves spread out so far that an umbrella- 
like head is formed, making a nice canopy under 
which to place a seat. The stems of this aralia as 
well as the leaf stalks are prickly, not with sharp 
spines, but still sufficiently so as to notify those who 
handle them recklessly to be more careful in future. 
Because of this comes its name of 'Hercules’ Club 
and Devil’s Walking Stick, the latter somewhat of 
a local name for it, I think. 
The spikenard, Aralia racemosa, and another 
species A. nudicaulis, are wild here, but these are 
low growing, half herbaceous sorts, with pretty 
flowers and fruit. 
Among closely allied plants are the famous gin- 
seng, Panax quinquifolium, and another, P. tri- 
foliurn, and the common European ivy, Hedera 
Helix, belongs to the same natural order. 
There are among other hardy arborescent soits, 
A. canescens, A. Japonica, A. pentaphylla and A. 
Maximourezii. Pentaphylla is different and Maxi- 
mourezii decidedly so, having palmately divided 
leaves, but Canescens and Japonica do not appear 
to differ from spinosa, if what are in cultivation 
under these names are correct. 
A closely allied genus, so close in fact that 
it is hard for the general observer to say wherein it 
differs, is Dimorphanthus Mandshuricus. It would 
pass anywhere for Aralia spinosa when planted by 
itself, but when near the other it is clearly seen to 
have a thicker, heavier growth throughout, and it 
flowers about lO days ahead of Aralia. Its flower- 
ing is over and fruit showing some red coloring by 
the time the Aralia flowers open. It is a grand 
companion to 
the Aralia. A 
tree or group 
of it should be 
planted apart 
from Aralia, 
to have the 
benefit of 
both. 
When seen 
in the winter 
season no one 
would think 
there would 
be the leafy 
shade afforded 
as exists and 
as the ill ustra- 
tion repre- 
sents. The 
length of leaf including the leaf stalk is often fully 
two feet, and then there are so many of them that a 
large bush of it affords a lovely bower. There are 
other trees bearing compound leaves in the same 
category. The Kentucky coffee, Gymnocladus 
Canadensis, is one. Many a person has given me 
an incredulous look when I have recommended it 
for a shade tree. Yet it is well suited for the pur- 
pose. Though the branches are few, the leaves are 
produced as in Aralia, and a beautiful shade tree is 
the result. 
The trimmed tree showing to the left of the 
Aralias is the European hornbeam, Carpinus Be- 
tulus, an excellent one for many situations, espec- 
ially where, as in this case, a tree of its present out- 
line is required. It would be hard to find a hand- 
somer group than that illustrated above, and in 
this case the picture comes very near doing it 
justice. Joseph Meehan. 
ARALIA SPIMOSA. FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA. 
