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Lilacs have yet been raised, but the crossing of some of the new Chin¬ 
ese species might well produce forms unlike any of the Lilacs now in 
cultivation. At present only four hybrid races of Lilacs are in culti¬ 
vation. The first of these appeared about 1810 in the Botanic Garden 
at Rouen in France, and originated probably by a natural cross be¬ 
tween the common and the Persian Lilac {S. persica). Through some 
unfortunate confusion of names the plant is called Syringa chinensis; 
a much better name for it is S. rothomagensis which it is often called. 
This is a vigorous shrub often fifteen feet tall and broad, with narrow 
leaves and great clusters of small red flowers so heavy that the slender 
branches droop under their weight. Where plenty of room can be 
given it this is one of the best of all Lilacs. There is a form with 
pale flesh-colored, nearly white flowers which is not as handsome as 
the red-flowered form, and there are other varieties which differ in 
the slightly darker color of the flowers. The next hybrid Lilac to ap¬ 
pear, Syringa hyacinthiflora, is the result of crossing S. vulgaris with 
S. oblata, a large round-topped shrub from northern China with broad, 
thick, lustrous leaves and small clusters of large, exceedingly fragrant, 
lilac-purple flowers. This hybrid has the habit and the foliage of S. 
oblata and small, semidouble, violet, fragrant flowers in small clusters. 
It blooms earlier than any of the forms of S. vulgaris, but has little 
to recommend it as a garden plant. The general name of Syringa 
Henryi has been given to a group of hybrids between the Hungarian 
S. Josikaea and the Chinese £. villosa, raised several years ago at the 
Museum in Paris. These plants, like both of their parents, bloom after 
the flowers of 5. vulgaris have faded; they have the dark blue-violet 
flowers of the Hungarian plant and the large leaves of S. villosa. 
The handsomest of this breed is called Lutece and is a valuable addi¬ 
tion to the late-flowering Lilacs. The latest of the hybrid Lilacs was 
raised by Lemoine by crossing S. vulgaris with the variety of the 
Chinese S. affinis with fragrant violet-colored flowers (var. Giraldii). 
The plants of this hybrid grow rapidly and have the tall loose habit of 
the Chinese plant; like it, too, they bloom early and their flowers are 
fragrant. Forms of this hybrid appeared in Lemoine’s recent catalogue 
under the names of Berryer, Claude Bernard, Lamartine, Mirabeau, 
Pascale and Vauban. These have only recently been added to the 
Arboretum collection and it is too soon to speak of their value here as 
garden plants. Among the Chinese species which have been introduced 
in the last forty years those which will certainly retain a permanent 
place in gardens are S. pubescens, S. villosa, S. Sweginzovii, S. tomen- 
tella, S. Julianae and S. Komarowii. By crossing the seedling varie¬ 
ties of S. vulgaris the blooming period of the Lilac has been extended, 
the size of the flowers and of the flower-clusters has been increased, 
many forms with double flowers have been raised; and new colors 
ranging from pale pink to dark red and to blue have been produced. 
As with Roses, some of the new forms have lost much of the fragrance 
of the flowers which is one of the great qualities of the old-fashioned 
garden Lilacs. 
Chinese Cotoneasters. Many of these plants are now in flower in the 
Shrub Collection and among the Chinese plants on Bussey Hill. There 
