THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
320 
Notes from Arnold Arboretum 
One of llie most Inillianl of all trees in autumn here is 
the Li(jui(laml)er or Swc(‘t (lum ( LiquifUimbar Sh'yj'a- 
ciflua). This eastern American tree grows as far north 
as southern (Connecticut and in the south, especially in 
the maritime region of the southern Atlantic states, and 
in the lower Mississippi valley it is one of the common¬ 
est of the trees of the forests on the bottom-lands of riv¬ 
ers where it somtimes grows to the height of more than 
one hundred and fifty feet. It is a tree with a tall 
straight trunk and short branches which form a narrow^ 
pyramidal head and are furnished for several years on 
their u])per side w ith broad corky wings. The flowers 
and the fruit are not conspicuous, and the great l)eauty 
of this tree is found in its habit and in the leaves; these 
hang on long stalks and are generally rounded in outline 
w ith a square or slightly heart-shaped Ijase and are 
deeply five- to seven-lobed, the lobes being acutely 
|)ointed. The leaves are thin and very lustrous on the 
upper surface and in autumn turn deep crimson. There 
is a species of Liquidamber in southwestern Asia which 
j)roduces the Liquidamber of commerce, another in Cen¬ 
tral America, and two (Chinese species. The two Chinese 
species are both grow ing in the Arboretum and there is 
a probability that one of these, L. formosana, will i)rove 
hardy here. This is the tree w hich produces much of the 
w ood used for Chinese tea-boxes. There are several in¬ 
dividuals of the American Liquidamber in the Arboretum, 
tbe tw 0 largest specimens being in the Witch Hazel 
group near the junction of the Meadow^ and Bussey Hill 
roads. 
The Sour-w ood or Sorrel-tree, Oxydendrum arboreum, 
is another American tree w Inch is too rarely found in eul- 
tivation. It is the only representative of the genus which 
belongs to the Heath Family, and in favorable surround¬ 
ings on tbe Ai)palachian Mountains sometimes becomes 
fifty or sixty feet tall. It is, however, much smaller in 
cultivation at the north and begins to flower w hen only a 
fexv feet high. This tree owes its common name to the 
acid juices of the leaves which protect them from in¬ 
sects and this adds to its value. It is valuable, too, be¬ 
cause the white flowers, erect on the drooping 
branches of large clusters terminal on axillary branches 
of the year, do not appear until midsummer when few^ 
w oody ])lants are in flower and because the leaves in 
autumn turn bright scarlet in striking eonti’ast to lh.t‘ 
flusters of white, dry, , pointed, capsular fruits. This 
southern tree is perfectly hardy in New England where 
it should be more generally i)lanted. There is a group 
of tbe Sour-w ood among the Laurels at the base ol Ilem- 
loek Hill. 
Better known in this part of the country Ilian th»‘ 
Liquidamber and the Sorrel-tree, the Flow^ering Dog- 
wood {Cornus florida) might well be lilanted moie gen¬ 
erally than it has been, for there is no more beautiful in¬ 
habitant of the woods of eastern North America. The in¬ 
florescence, with its pure white floral bracts w’hich aj)- 
pear before the leaves unfold, light uj) the forests in 
early sjiring and in the autumn when the clusleis of 
shining scarlet fruits are ripe and the leaves hfiv<' fumed 
scarlet no other small tree is more beautiful here. 
The leaves of the Scarlet Oak {Querciis cocedwn, are 
still green, or are only just beginning to turj>, but in a 
short time this tree w ill be the most brilliant in color of 
all the Oaks which can be grown in this region. The 
Scarlet Oak is comparatively rare in the immediate neigh¬ 
borhood of Boston, but in Plymouth county it is, perhaps, 
the most eommon Oak tree, and the autumn splendor of 
the woods in w hich this tree abounds will well repay a 
late October visit to the Old Colony. 
The leaves of no other shrub in the Arboretum are 
now' so bright scarlet as those of the eommon Highbush 
Blueberry of New^ F]ngland sw'amps {Varrtniinn roryin- 
bosum.) This plant has much to recommend it for gen¬ 
eral cultivation; the habit is good, the flowers are beauti¬ 
ful, the large bright blue fruits which cover the 
branches in early summer are very handsome and of 
better quality than those of any other Blucboiy, and the 
autumn foliage is unsurpassed in brilliancy. Young 
plants-can be easily transplanted from the sw amps and 
succeed in any good garden soil in w hich they grow' rap¬ 
idly and flower and produce fruit in abundance. 
Almost as brilliant here as the Highbush Blueberry are 
the Japanese species of Enkianthus which are establish¬ 
ed on the lower side of Azalea Path. The largest of 
these, Enkianthus campanulatus, is a tall narrow' shrub 
with slender erect stems and drooping clusters of pale. 
Heath-like flowers. Like the other species its greatest 
beauty, however, is in the autumn when the leaves turn 
bright scarlet. . This j>lant and Enkianthus japonicus, a 
much dwarfer sj)ecies, are found in all Japanese gardens 
where they are grown for the colors of their autumn 
foliage. Although perfectly hardy and in every w ay sat¬ 
isfactory plants, the different species of Enkianthus are 
rarely found in American gardens. 
Cne of the most interesting shrubs in the Arboretum in 
early autumn is the eastei’n Asiatic Evonymus (datus for, 
unlike those of any other plant in the collection, the 
leaves turn a clear rose color. This is a large, w ide- 
spreading, rather compact shrub w ith branches furnish¬ 
ed w ith broad corky ridges and inconspicuous flow ers 
and fruits. Its fine habit and the unusual color of the 
leaves in autumn are its chief claims for attention. Un¬ 
fortunately the leaves fall early and their i)eriod of 
beauty is short. There is a large plant in the Evonymus 
group on the right-hand side of the Meadow Hoad and 
another on the left-hand side of the Bussey Hill Hoad 
above the Lilacs. 
Of the shrubs w ith leaves wdiich turn orange and scar¬ 
let in the autumn the most conspicuous now' is Fother- 
gitta major. Folhergilla is a genus related to the Witch 
Hazels and is found only in the southeastern United 
States where four speeies have been distinguished; they 
