1877 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
61 
The Umbrella Pine of JapaD 
{Sdadopitys verticillata.) 
Though the Umbrella Pine was described 
nearly a century ago by Thunberg, who regard¬ 
half as thick, cylindrical, and composed of 
very thick, broad scales, between which are 
equally broad bracts, each scale bearing six to 
nine seeds. None of the conifers from Japan 
have been watched by cultivators with more 
interest than this. At first it was quite too rare 
tinct and striking appearance, and now that its 
hardiness seems to be established, it will no 
doubt be generally grown. ” 
Prom what we have seen of the tree we can 
heartily second Mr. Hovey’s commendation. 
Wit’ - most conifers, their power of endurance 
UMBRELLA PINE OF JAPAN. 
MENTZELIA ORNATA. 
ed it as a species of Yew, it was not known in 
European gardens until 1860, when it was in¬ 
troduced by Fortune. It was first correctly 
described and figured by Siebold and Zuccarini 
in their Flora of Japan, (1834), who recognized 
it as a new genus, to which they gave the name 
Sdadopitys, from the Greek words for umbrella 
and pine-tree; on account of the peculiar ar¬ 
rangement of the leaves and branches, they call¬ 
ed the species vertidllata. Siebold, who saw the 
plant only in cultivation in the gardens and in 
the grounds around the temples, described it 
as growing only 12 to 15 ft. in hight, but ac¬ 
cording to later travelers it reaches from 80 to 
150 feet, and is one of the grandest of all forest 
trees. The branches are alternate or whorled; 
the leaves are flat, about one-sixth of an inch 
wide, and about four inches long, are arranged 
in whorls of 30 or 40, at the ends of the branch¬ 
es, each whorl spreading and assuming an 
umbrella-like form. The leaves last three or 
four years, and the young branches show a 
succession of several such whorls separated by 
spaces equal to the annual growth of the stem. 
The male and female flowers are probably 
upon different branches of the same tree, the 
latter ripening into a cone the year after flower¬ 
ing ; the cones are about three inches long and 
and costly a plant to allow its hardiness to be 
generally tested; we have known for several 
years of a specimen near Philadelphia, which 
has stood the winters there, but as that locality 
seems to be the northern limit of many things, 
this single case could not be taken as an indica¬ 
tion of its behavior farther north. We were 
especially pleased to receive from Mr. Charles 
H. Hovey, of Hovey & Co., Cambridgeport, 
Mass., a photograph of the tree from which 
our engraving is made, and the following notes 
which seem to put the question of its hardiness 
beyond a doubt. Mr. Hovey writes: 
“ This new conifer cannot be too highly re¬ 
commended, should it continue to withstand 
the climate as successfully as it has done in the 
vicinity of Boston for the last four very severe 
winters. We have a specimen which has stood 
out during that time, without the slightest pro¬ 
tection, and it has not received the least injury 
to any part of its branches. Mr. Wm. Gray, 
Jr., has also a specimen which has been out 
about the same time, which has also been with¬ 
out protection and without injury. Our plant 
is now about five feet high, and from its pecu¬ 
liar habit is noticeable among all the other 
conifers. It may well be a favorite with us, as 
it is with the Japanese, on account of its dis¬ 
increases with age, and many that are hardy 
when well established, require protection when 
first planted; that this endures the winter 
when quite small, gives excellent promise for 
its future. Those who have a place for a single 
choice, striking evergreen, or for only a few 
varieties, should consider the Sciadopitys in 
making a selection. According to Siebold, the 
Japanese have several varieties, and the French 
catalogues mention one with the foliage mark¬ 
ed with yellow blotches, but we can not con¬ 
ceive this to be any improvement upon the rich 
green of the ordinary form, and it is too digni¬ 
fied a tree to indulge in any such vagaries. 
The Mentzelias as Garden Plants. 
The genus Mentzelia, named in honor of 
Mentzel, an early German botanist, is peculiar¬ 
ly a North American one; it contains about 30 
species, all but two of which belong beyond 
the Mississippi. Among these, a number are 
of merely botanical interest, while several are 
remarkably showy plants. Nuttall, regarding 
some of them as sufficiently distinct, placed 
them in a separate genus, which he called Bar- 
tonia , in honor of Dr. B. S. Barton, of Phila* 
