56 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
.January 16, 1904. 
testing it have ever been made. On the other hand, 
the Strawberry-Raspberry seems to have been planted 
out of doors in the south of Britain since soon after 
its introduction, or, at least, as soon, a,s the cultivators had 
sufficient, stock to risk some of it out of doors,. The- mountain! 
habitat, of this plant would no doubt account for its relative 
hardiness in, this country. In America it would seem that 
there is some danger of the plant becoming a weed on account 
of its creeping, underground stems and the rapid way in which 
it extends the area, of the original stock. 
On repeated occasions fruits have been brought, up to the) 
Drill Hall meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society both in 
a gathered state and upon the plant. Most people who, have 
anything to do with it affirm that it is ornamental when in 
fruit, but the latter is rather tasteless, and therefore not likely 
to usurp the place of any of the small fruits already in cultiva¬ 
tion,, much less the Raspberry. Some people have, however, 
made it into jam or other preserves, and find that the flavour i,s 
considerably improved thereby, it, is just possible, however, 
that it would find acceptance with those who dislike 1 the in¬ 
tense sweetness of the Raspberry, and possibly the seeds may 
be less evident in the mouth than in, the case ol Raspberry 
seeds; certainly much, less evident than those of the Black¬ 
berry. There can be little doubt, that it would prove a useful 
adjunct, to collections, of fruit, whether on the exhibition or 
dining table, for the sake of ornament if for nothing else. 
From that point of view it could also, be planted on the, rockery 
in places where if, could not overrun its neighbours, and the 
large and conspicuous red fruits would certainly be attractive- 
during the months of August and September, when they ripen. 
The plant canno-t, be described 1 a,s a true Raspberry, because 
the white core left on the stalk of the Raspberry is not repeated 
in the plant under notice; neither can it, be compared to a 
Blackberry, because in the latter the fruits are perfectly per¬ 
sistent, on the stalk till decay sets in or- till eaten, by birds. In, 
the Strawberry-Raspberry the receptacle is hollow, and when, 
the fruit is torn, o-ff the remains of the core come away in, the 
interior in the form of some spongy tissue attached to, the 
edible portion, while the base of the receptacle only remains 
with the calyx. We append Dr. Focke’s description of the 
Strawberry-Raspberry as translated from the Latin by Mr. 
Alfred Rehder in, the above-mentioned publication,. 
“ Rubus illecebrosus, Focke. A glabrous and prickly peren¬ 
nial, emitting from a creeping rootstock annual upright or 
ascending shoots 1 ft. to, 3 ft. high, simple or branched and 
sparingly beset with compressed prickles. Leaves odd-pinnate, 
5 in,, to 8 in. long with five to seven leaflets, leaf-stalks, rhachis, 
and often also the under-side of the leaflets furnished with 
compressed usually hooked prickles; leaflets oblong-lanceolate 
t,> lanceolate, 2 in. to 3 in., long, acuminate, rounded at the 
base, sharply and doubly serrate, glabrous and sparingly hairy 
above wdien young, pale green, and glabrous beneath, and 
usually with a few booked prickles on the mid-rib-; the lateral 
leaflets- short, the terminal one lomg-petioled. Flowers- pe- 
duncled, upright, white, 1 in. to 2 in. across, fragrant, solitary 
at the end of the stems and branches, and sometimes in the 
axils of the upper leaves ; calyx lobes fleshy, o-vate, abruptly 
contracted at the apex into a. long subulate recurved tip ; petals 
ob-ovate, about, in. broad, little exceeding the tips of the 
sepals • stamens numerous, shorter than the pistils, with 
flattened filaments. Fruit large, \ ini. high and about, as 
broad, consisting cif very numerous small drupelets, upright or 
nodding, bright scarlet, hollow at maturity, the evanescent core 
portion adhering a,s- spongy flakes to the inner walls of the 
fruit, insipid.” 
Erica Carxea.— For some time past this beautiful and in¬ 
valuable hardy Heath has been showing its flowers. At present 
they are very pale, but it is interesting to watch the flowers 
lengthening and deepening as the-days lengthen till the waning 
(lavs of March, when they become a deep and bright purple. It. 
is the dwarf-est ol all the Heaths, and one of the easiest to 
cultivate. 
Coccoloba grandifolia. 
{See Supplement.) 
This week we give an illustration of a plant that is rarely 
seen in cultivation except in botanical establishments-. Never¬ 
theless, it has been cultivated more or less in -this country 
since 1690. If foliage plants- were a little more appreciated 
than they are at the present, day, this might more often be 
seen in private establishments where a large and warm con¬ 
servatory exists. In such jrl-aces it might either be grown in 
a large tube, or planted out s-o- as to allow it to attain something 
of its natural dimensions. Where only the ordinary plant 
stove exists, with a, roof of no great height, the plant under 
notice would be unsuitable unless the gardener is prepared to 
propagate it frequently so- as to -maintain the plant in a, dwarf 
state. 
Something like a dozen species have been introduced from 
time to time, and C. grandifolia we consider to be the finest 
of them on, account, -of its immense l-eaves. They are usually 
known a,s the Seaside Grape, but, that name is more particularly 
applicable to C. uvifera (Grape-bearing), which also- comes 
fro-m the West Indies, and evidently was introduced in the 
same year as the subject of our illustration. In -their native 
home they attain the character of trees, so- that, when plants 
have once made a fairly good start they grow away rapidly, as 
might be expected from their sturdy, robust habit. C. o-bo-vata, 
introduced from New Granada in, 1824, attains a. height of 
something like 50 ft. The above three are reckoned to be the 
best -of something like a dozen species, and have been intro¬ 
duced at -one time or other. 
Our photograph was taken last spring in the nursery of 
Messrs. James Veitch and Sons-, Ltd., Chelsea, when the plant 
had the appearance- now represented. The leaves were nearly 
orbicular, 3| ft,, wide and 2| ft. long, -heart-shaped at the 
base, where it, was- seated -on the stem without a stalk, so as to 
make, it strong against the wind. The strong nerves were 
alternate from eia,ch side- of the, midrib, the whole leaf being 
leathery like an -elephant’s hide, dark green above and more 
or less brown beneath, especially when young. During the 
time it was at Chelsea it. made four leaves-, which are those 
in the best, condition seen at the top of the, plant. 
Since the photograph was taken the plant has gone to Kew, 
where it is now considerably altered in. appearance. About 
-three of the lower leaves have dropped, and three- or four young 
ones have been made on the top, so that iti now stands about 
10 ft. or 12 ft. in height, with the lower portion of the stem 
naked. It, will thus be- seen, that it will only be valuable .n 
private places in the, early stages of growth, though if there 
were- 'conveniences for planting it out in a, high conservatory 
the tree would continue to, be -effective from its massiveness. 
We may here state that, the tree is most often recorded in 
gardening-books, under the name of C. pubescens—a name given 
it by Linnaeus, but the species is referred t,o a,s C. grandifolia,, 
of Jaequin, by the “ Index Kewens-i-s.” As, n-o, dates are given, 
we are unable to say why -the change was made, because, if 
Linnaeus described it as Coccoloba pubescens-, that, name should 
have been, retained itf he described it, in the book from which 
it is quoted. 
In the matter of cultivation it, creates no difficulty whatever, 
provided it gets plenty of heat, and moisture—at least, while 
making its growth. Judging from the hard character of the 
leaves at, maturity, we should think it capable of standing the 
dry atmosphere, such as -is usually maintained in stoves during 
our winter. A compost of good fibrous loam, with sufficient 
sand to ensure porosity, will suit the plant admirably, though 
a little leaf mould might be added with advantage if the loam 
is at all deficient in fibre. " 
Propagation is effected by means of imported seeds, and also 
by cuttings of plants that, may he already in the country. 
These cuttings should be taken off when the -wood is- matured, 
and placed in sand in the propagating case. The leaves should 
be maintained entire, so, that a, large specimen would require 
a considerable a,mount of space. In. the case of a specimen 
like that represented, only two joints need be taken off, the 
uppermost one carrying a, -single leaf, while- the cuttings ought 
t-o have-the next no-de, in order t-o- form a. firm basis f-o-r rooting. 
