1878.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
34,1 
The Starry magnolia.— [Magnolia stellata.) 
Many months ago, Messrs. Robert B. Parsons & 
Co., sent us the flowers, and later the foliage, of 
two new Japanese Magnolias, to which had been 
given the names respectively of Hall’s and Thur- 
ber’s Magnolia, (M. Halleana, and M. Thurberi), 
the one in honor of Doct. Hall, a long resident of 
Japan, and who has been instrumental in introduc¬ 
ing a number of Japanese plants, and the other in 
honor of one of the Editors of the American Agri¬ 
culturist. These Magnolias were first introduced 
sion as to quite cover the bush, but are individually 
smaller than those of the related species, averag¬ 
ing from 3 to 4 inches in diameter. They have an 
exceedingly pleasing fragrance. The other, offered 
as M. Thurberi, mainly differs from this in the 
number and size of its petals. For small places, 
plants of moderate hight and abundant bloom, are 
most desirable, and such really valuable additions 
as these Magnolias to our collections of early flower¬ 
ing shrubs, are most welcome, and we thank Mr. 
Robert Parsons for making us acquainted with them. 
We have heretofore expressed our regret that bo¬ 
tanical names should be given to nursery plants, 
A California Succulent. 
[Cotyledon edule.) 
Within a few years, the plants known collectively 
as “ succulents ” have been much in fashion. Their 
compact and low growth, their fleshy leaves, usu¬ 
ally arranged in rosettes, and the considerable va¬ 
riety in their color, which is generally of soft and 
pleasant tints of green, especially adapt them for 
working out figures in mosaic planting, and allow 
the production of effects in gardening that are pos¬ 
sible with no other class of plants. Under the 
into cultivation by Messrs. Parsons & Co., Flush¬ 
ing, L. I., in whose nursery they flowered several 
years ago, and where they received the names above 
mentioned. When the old firm was made into two, 
the stock was (presumably) divided between the 
new firms of Sami. B. Parsons & Sons and R. B. Par¬ 
sons & Co., as we notice that both firms offer them 
m their catalogues. Aside from their intrinsic 
merits, these trees have an especial interest as be¬ 
ing American introductions. We give an engrav¬ 
ing from a drawing, made last spring from the 
original stock of the one called Hall’s Magnolia. 
The flowers were received at one time, and the 
leaves at another, and by some misunderstand- 
ing, the artist has put the flower upon a leafy 
branch. This conveys a wrong impression. Like 
11. conspicua, M. Soulangeana , and other Chinese 
Magnolias, this produces its flowers in advance of 
the leaves, and to show it correctly, the flowers and 
leaves should be presented on different branches. 
The plant has a dwarf habit, and will probably not 
reach a hight of over 6 or 8 feet. It produces a 
great abundance of bloom, which appears earlier 
than that of the two well known kinds just named. 
The pure white flowers are produced in such profu- 
and the case of this Magnolia calls for a renewal of 
this protest, as it affords an example of the con¬ 
fusion it leads to. No conscientious botanist gives 
a new name to a plant unless he is well convinced 
that the plant itself is new. Still, with all possible 
care, our books are loaded with synonyms. We 
would not imply that the nurserymen would wil¬ 
lingly give a name to a plant already described, 
but, with a few rare exceptions, nurserymen have 
not the books, herbaria, and other facilities for de¬ 
termining whether the plant new to him is really 
new to science. This Magnolia seemed to be new, 
and it was named M. Halleana, was sent abroad un¬ 
der that name, and only in June last was figured as 
such in “The Garden,” (London.) It now appears 
that it is really an old plant, it having been figured 
85 or more years ago by Siebold & Zuccarini as 
Buergeria stellata, as they considered it distinct from 
Magnolia. Sir Joseph Hooker, in a recent number 
of the “Botanical Magazine,” puts the matter 
right by figuring it under the proper name, Magno¬ 
lia stellata. and before this article was put in type, 
there came to hand the “ Revue Horticole,” in 
which the plant is figured by Carriere under the 
same name. M. Halleana must therefore be dropped. 
general term “ succulents,” are included plants 
with no immediate botanical relationships, the 
large family Compositai furnishing several, though 
the great majority belong to the Stone-crop Family 
(Crassulacece ), of which the old and well-known 
“House-leek” ( Sempervivum tectorum) and the 
common “Live-forever” (Sedum Telephium), now 
in some places only too common as a weed, are the 
most familiar representatives. The majority of 
the “succulents” being tender, mosaic bedding 
can only be undertaken by those who have suf¬ 
ficient greenhouse room for the storing of the 
plants during winter, and examples of this style 
of gardening are limited to the grounds of 
those with proper means and facilities. The 
plants most largely used are the different species 
and varieties of what are given in the catalogues as 
Echeveria , and comprises plants from almost every 
part of the world, including several, and those 
among the most striking, from our Pacific Coast. 
But botanists (Hooker & Bentham abroad, and 
Gray, Watson, and others at home,) have lately 
found that there is no good reason for the existence 
of the genus Echeveria, as distinct from the older 
Cotyledon of Linnaeus. So the plants named in 
