February 9. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
357 
I suppose, we must confine ourselves until we find a 
better road. 
In conclusion. I see no chance of a happy delivery 
out of this labyrinth but by real experiment; but I 
fear that wars and war’s rumours—those direful antago¬ 
nists of peaceful progress—will, for awhile, cause many 
horticultural questions, only in their swaddling clothes, 
to hold the state of babyhood longer than usual. Let 
us, however, still watch the bantling with close attention, 
and still, though in an intermittent way, afford every 
help. Those who live at their ease, and fear not the 
fluctuation of events, have, at least, a chance of perusing 
such interesting matter. 
R. Errington. 
TREES AND SHRUBS. 
In this list I shall not confine myself to those plants 
that have been recently introduced, because I intend it 
to be more generally useful, but I shall point out those 
more recently brought to notice. Many of the plants in 
my list have been already mentioned in this work, and 
treated of in full, and by turning back to the indices of 
former volumes their proper cultivation will be found 
in addition to what is here stated. 
Illicium floridanum, or Aniseed-Tree, is a low ever¬ 
green bush, growing slowly to six or eight feet, and 
requiring a damp sandy soil, and generally increased 
from layers. A native of swamps in Florida and Loui¬ 
siana. Flowers of no account. 
Illicium religiosum, recently introduced from Japan, 
is a very nice low plant, that will do well in a warm, 
sheltered place, but does not require a damp situation. 
Both these are evergreen, and require protection north 
of London in hard winters. 
Magnolia grandiflora. —Everybody knows this fine 
evergreen, but many do not know that there are several 
varieties of it, some of which do not flower with us 
worth a straw, and seedlings of it take a very long time 
before they come to a flowering age. The one called 
Exmouth grandiflora is the only kind really worth 
growing. It is known by the rustiness which covers 
the under side of the leaves. A Magnolia grandiflora, 
with the under side of the leaves green, is not worth 
having till it comes to a great age, and hardly then 
except in very warm situations. It requires dry sandy 
loam on a dry bottom, and is as hardy as the Portugal 
Laurel, but flowers best against a wall. It is best 
increased from layers. 
Magnolia glauca and Thomsoniana is a fast-growing 
plant, and flowers early. The variety raised by Mr. 
Thomson, of the Mile-End Nursery, is the best, makes 
a beautiful lawn plant, and should not have a wall. 
The leaves are large, bluish-green, and fall off in the 
autumn. 
Magnolia tripetala, called the Umbrella-Tree, on 
account of its very large leaves, and Elkwood, from the 
points of the shoots being like the horns of the elk. 
A very fast-growing, soft-wooded, deciduous plant, with 
very large white flowers; deep, rich soil, and a dry, shel¬ 
tered situation, suit it best. 
Magnolia conspicua. —This is one of the very best; 
it is one sheet of white blossom in April before the leaf 
comes, and when it comes of age it flowers as freely as 
Tom Thumb. No shrubbery should be without it. 
Magnolia macrophylla. —The long, large-leaved 
Magnolia, one of the scarcest, but one of the most 
noble-looking of the family, and comes nearest to the 
Umbrella-Tree. The leaves fall in the autumn. It 
requires a dry situation, and good, light soil, like all 
those large-leaved kinds. 
Magnolia accuminata. —This prefers a damp soil, 
but it will do almost in any soil, and for that reason it 
is generally used to graft others on, or scarce seedlings. 
Magnolia auricui.ata is also a large-leaved kind, 
which grows very fast, and is generally grafted on the 
last; they all have large, white flowers, aud are amongst 
the finest-looking bushy or low trees of all we grow, 
whether in flower or not, and there are many seedling 
ling variations from each of them, which are highly 
valued by those who know them and can find room 
for them. 
Magnolia purpurea, with light purplish flowers, is a 
dwarf plant, often seen in American beds in front of 
large Rhododendrons. It is a very free-flowering, deci¬ 
duous plant and very hardy. Any of the large-leaved 
kinds will graft on it as readily as on accuminata, and, 
like the Quince and Paradise stocks, it will dwarf on any 
of them, so as to make a miniature plantation of the 
most interesting kind imaginable; but for that way 
you must do the thing at home. There is no demand 
in the trade for these dwarfs. 
Evergreen Berberies. —These, like the finer Mag¬ 
nolias, are not known half so much as they ought to be. 
There are nearly forty kinds of evergreen Berberis, and 
yet you can hardly meet with a jierson out of a great 
nursery who knows more than half-a-dozen of them. 
All that were known in 1850 have been described by 
Dr. Bindley, in the “Journal of the Horticultural 
Society,” whence I abridge the following account of 
them. 
Crowbeiiry-leaved Berbery ( Berberis empetrifolia). 
—A well-known spiny and trailing low bush, tor a hog- 
bed or a dry rockworlc. It grows anywhere and anyhow. 
From the Land’s End in South America. 
Star-spined Berbery ( Berberis cictinacantha). —From 
Chili. A stiff bush, three feet high; grows anywhere, 
and spawns much from the roots. Flowers numerous, 
but very small—yellow, of course, like all ot them. 
Box-leaved Berbery ( Berberis buxifolia). —This is 
only a better variety of one called dulcis, a native of 
Valdiria, off the west coast of South America, while the 
Box-leaved comes from Terra del Fuego. It is a variable 
plant, which is the cause of these aliases, dulcis, rotun- 
difloUa, microphylla, and inermis. 
Yellow Berbery ( Berberis luted). —This was found 
by Mr. Lobb high up in the mountains (1-1,000 feet), 
near Veto, in Peru, whence he sent it to Mr. Veitch. 
It was found by Ruiz and Pavon, who first named it; 
and they said it was a large bush, eighteen feet high. 
It comes near to the beautiful Bci'beris Darwinii, and 
flowers in the same way. It grows in “ coldish places,” 
and stood out unharmed at the Exeter nursery of 
Mr. Veitch. 
Wallich’s Berbery ( Berberis Wallichiana, alias 
macrophylla and atrovirens). —“An evergreen of most 
beautiful aspect;” a native of Java, said to grow to ten 
feet, with leaves and flowers much like the common 
aquifolium. It was described in Dr. Wallich’s great 
work on the Rare Plants of India, aud was introduced 
by Mr. Veitch; but I have not heard if it is yet on 
sale, but it stood out with them at Exeter. 
Ragged Berbery ( Berberis heterophylla, alias ilici- 
folia). —The alias belongs to a pretty plant, and hetero¬ 
phylla is not worth growing except in botanic collections. 
Ilex-leaved Berbery ( Berberis ilicifolia) —A very 
rare thing, said by Dr. Joseph Hooker to be the hand¬ 
somest species in the genus, and grows to eight feet 
high in Terra del Fuego. This most splendid Berbery 
flowered at Kew, and then died, and must be got over 
again. A Captain going through the Straits, or rather 
coming home through the Straits of Magellan, might 
find it, if ho were to lie to and send out in quest of it. 
The leaves are like an evergreen Oak, but of a darkish 
green abovo aud whitish underneath. 
Darwin’s Berbery ( Berberis Darwinii). — Another 
gem of the first water, for which we are indebted to Mr. 
Lobb. It will grow five or six feet high, perhaps double 
