1958 
in Takoma Parle, D. C. It is now a small tree of attractive proportions 
and has blossomed for 6 or 7 years. Its single stem is 16 inches in 
circumference at the base, the tree is 16 feet high with a spread of 
11 feet, and the last year's growth is about 12 inches long. The wood 
is stiff and splits off easily. 
"As compared with the native Virginia Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginiea) , 
it excels it in several characters: (1) It grows quite naturally in- 
to a single-stemmed tree, rather than a many-stemmed bush, as often hap- 
pens with our Fringe tree. It reaches a size somewhat larger than our 
Flowering dogwood, and grows more rapidly while young. (2) Its leaves 
are smaller than those of our native form, and give the tree a more open 
and graceful aspect. (3) Its flowers are carried with more grace than 
our species; the clusters are smaller and more erect. (4) The color 
of the flowers is pure white, while ours are often tinged with green. 
(5) Furthermore, the flowers have an attractive fragrance which the 
Virginia Fringe tree lacks. The flowers open in mid-May, coming with 
well-developed foliage, while the flowers of our species are largely 
on bare twigs , 
"This species is reported to be practically dioecious but it has 
regularly matured fruits, which are purple, olive-shaped drupes about 
half an inch long. Various birds are very fond of the flesh of these." 
(D. N. Shoemaker, Takoma Park, D. C, April 4, 1924.) 
kolkwitzia amabilis (Caprifoliaceae) , 38832. From Shensi, China. 
"It is to be regretted that the first half of the binomial of this ex- 
cellent shrub is not as lovely as the latter half. It will undoubtedly 
become popular however in spite of its harsh and outlandish name. We 
have become accustomed to the names 'Tolstoi' and 'Kosciusko,' so why 
not 'Kolkwitzia'? 
"My specimen was secured in 1917, and is now at seven years of age 
a bush 7 feet high, with a spread of 8 feet. It resembles the bush 
honeysuckles in growth, but has larger flowers, which are produced with 
great profusion, and completely cover the plant. They open about the 
middle of May, coming after the leaves are well started. The flower 
is fairly clear white, tinged with pink on the outside, narrowly tubu- 
lar at the base expanding into a wider tube, and crowned with five 
rounded spreading lobes. After the flowers have fallen the fruits 
form an interesting feature of the shrub. They are dry capsules covered 
by conspicuous brownish hairs. 
"It does not offer many offsets at the base for propagation, but 
grows readily from well-ripened green-wood cuttings taken in summer. 
The older stems shed their bark in characteristic flakes which usually 
cling to the stem by one side but become loosened for half the way round. 
"Kolkwitzia is in appearance a bush honeysuckle with flowers the 
