ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3 VOLUME II
1928
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Azalea Vaseyi, 35
Cornus floricia, 27
Forsythia intermedia spectabilis, 3
Lilac Vestale, 31
Malus baccata, 23
Malus ioensis plena. Bechtel's Crab, 39
Malus toringoides, 67
Philadelphus Albatre, 51
Pieris floribunda. 11
Pinus strobus fastigiata, 71
Prunus triloba, 15
Pyrus Gallery ana, 19
Rhododendron dauricum mucronulatum, 7
Rhododendron Caucasicum Hybrid, Glennyanum, 43
Schizophragma hydrangeoides. 59
Sciadopitys verticillata, 63
Spiraea Veitchii, 55
V iburnum cassinoides, 47
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ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II APRIL 14, 1928 NO. I
Forsythias or Goldenbells make the season’s first brave display
of yellow blossoms and without these handsome shrubs spring gardens
would lose much of their beauty. The genus is an Old World one
and its distribution is quite interesting. For many years two species
only were known, both native of eastern China and cultivated in
Japan. In 1897 a species was discovered on the mountains of Albania
in southeastern Europe. Since then another species has been dis-
covered in China, one in west Japan and one on the Diamond Moun-
tains of Korea. It is really an Oriental genus with one outlying
species in the Balkan Peninsula and geographically far removed.
Among shrubs we know of no other identical case but a close parallel
is found in the related Lilacs and Privets, which, in addition to
Oriental and European species, have representatives on the Hi-
malayas. In very severe winters the flower buds are apt to suffer more
or less severely, but on the whole all Forsythias may be classed as
hardy so far north as Boston. Formerly the Cornelian Cherry
{Cornus mas) the Leatherwood {Dirca pahistris) and the Spicebush
{Benzoin aestivale) were the season’s first favorites among yellow
flowering woody plants, but for ornamental purposes Forsythias have
now entirely superseded them. The Forsythias are admirable sub-
jects for planting either on banks, against walls or fences, for hedges,
or as specimens, but one of the tragedies of spring is the brutal
way in which these good-natured shrubs are clipped and sheared at
the annual tidying up of the garden. As one travels through the
suburbs and countryside decapitated bushes of Forsythias are to be
seen on either hand despite the obvious fact that every branch cut
from them in early April means a loss of flowers. If people would
only wait and enjoy the crop of blossoms and then cut the Forsythia
bushes back as severely as circumstances or fancy dictates, no harm
would be done. Like other spring flowering shrubs and trees For-
sythias produce their blossoms on the past season’s growth and the
pruning of all these plants should be done immediately after the
blossoms have fallen. It is surprisingly difficult to get people to
appreciate or at least to practise this simple fact.
1
2
In the Arboretum the collection is established on a steep bank on
Bussey Hill Road near Forest ^Hills Gate and immediately - before the
Lilacs are reached. Individual bushes of the species and varieties
are at the lower end and beyond is a' tangle ‘some 75 yards long and
25 yards deep, which is one of the most spectacular sights of early
spring in the Arboretum. In the Shrub Garden certain of the older
species, hybrids and varieties -are grown. TLe curious may be in-
terested to note that in the flowers of the Forsythia the style of the
pistil is of two lengths. On some bushes the flowers all have a style
longer than the stamens and reaching to the mouth of the corolla-
tube. On other plants the style is short reaching about half the
length of the corolla-tube and the stamens protrude above it. Some
of the varieties of the hybrid F. intermedia are distinguished by
having either a long or short style to the pistil. Of the six species
known all except F. Giraldiana from Shensi province in China are
cultivated in the Arboretum. This species is described as having-
hairs on the leaves, a condition found in F. ffuspensa var. pubescens,
which is growing in the Arboretum. It is rather interesting to note
that in the allied genera Syringa, Fraxinus and Chionanthus hairi-
ness may occur in any species. It would appear that pubescence in
these genera is a family peculiarity and of little or no taxonomic
significance.
Forsythia ovata, a newcomer from the Diamond Mountains in
Korea, whence it was introduced by the Arnold Arboretum through
seeds sent by E. H. Wilson in 1917, is first of the Forsythias to* open
its blossoms. In a wild state this is a straggling, often sprawling-
shrub of no great size, remarkable chiefly for its relatively large,
dark green, very leathery leaves. In cultivation it is a sparsely
branching, vigorous shrub with ascending, arching stems forming a
broad, rounded shrub some 5 to 7 feet tall. The shoots are pale
gray and this with its habit of growth readily distinguish it from
other species. The leaves are thick and leathery, broadly ovate, from
2 to 3 inches long and from l.t to 2 inches wide, coarsely- toothed, and
lustrous dark green on the upper surface. The flowers, borne singly
or in pairs, are each about 1 inch across and have a purple-brown
calyx and a pale, rather greenish, yellow corolla. Though the flowers
are smaller than those of other species and the color somewhat pale
this new species, on account of -its great hardiness, is likely to be of
great value to northern gardens. It will probably prove hardy as
far north as Ottawa and the hybridist should find it of much service.
Forsythia suspensa, native of China but for centuries grown in
Japanese gardens and from there introduced into Holland in 1833,
was the first Forsythia to be known. The typical form has long,
whip-like branchlets, pendent or sprawling on the ground, where they
root freely. It will grow from 15 to 30 feet tall and on account of
its lax habit this is the best Forsythia for planting against walls or
fences or for training- over pergolas. The variety Fortnnei is an
upright growing- bush of vigorous habit with erect and ai-ching
branches and abundant golden yellow blossoms. Another variety
The best Goldenbell {Foi'sythia intermedia var. spectabilis)
4
(atrocaidis) introduced from central China in 1907 is remarkable
for its blackish purple shoots and extremely large flowers; unfor-
tunately this does not blossom so freely as the type.
Forsythia viridissima was the second species introduced, being
sent to England from China by Robert Fortune in 1844. This is a
bush with ascending-spreading stems some 5 to 6 feet tall and bright
yellow flowers. It is not so hardy as F. suspensa and blossoms a little
later. More handsome than the type and likely to be of greater
hardiness is the variety koreana, a common plant in the neighborhood
of Seoul, the capital of Korea. This has spreading, arching branches
and deeper yellow, more abundant blossoms than the Chinese type.
It was introduced by the Arboretum in 1919 through seeds received
from the Department of Forestry in Korea. These two Chinese
species are much confused in gardens but may be readily distinguished
one from the other by splitting a shoot down the middle. In F.
idridissima the pith will be seen to be arranged in plates one above
another, whereas in F. suspensa there is no pith and the center of the
stem is hollow. Interestingly enough the hybrid between these two
species, F. intermedia, partakes of both characters. In some shoots or
parts of the same shoot lamellate pith will be seen, whereas in others
no pith is present.
Forsythia intermedia, a hybrid between the two Chinese species,
which originated in Europe some time before 1880, is superior to
either of its parents. The variety spectahilis with rich, pure yellow
flowers, each IV2 inches across, is probably the most handsome of all
the Goldenbells. It is extremely floriferous and stems 6 to 8 feet long
are crowded throughout the whole length with large clusters of blos-
soms. If only one Forsythia can be grown it should be this. Another
v'ariety of this hybrid with deep yellow flowers is vitellina. The
variety densifiora has spreading and pendulous branches, much
crowded, pale yellow, rather flat flowers with slightly recurved corolla
lobes. The best of the pale yellow Forsythias is var. prbnulina, which
originated in the Arboretum about 1910 as a chance seedling.
Forsythia europaea was discovered on the mountains of Albania by
Dr. A. Baldacci in 1897, and was introduced into cultivation by means
of seeds which he sent to Kew in 1899. It is of upright habit with
pale gray shoots and yellow blossoms each about IV4, inches in
diameter. Of somewhat ungainly habit, growing 10 feet tall, it has
proved more bud-hardy in the Arboretum than the Chinese species.
Forsythia japonica in its typical form is not represented in the
Arboretum. This species is said to be abundant in the province of
Bitchu in western Japan and to be related to F. suspensa. In central
Korea grows a variety (saxatilis), a rather slender stemmed plant
and this is now growing in the Arboretum collection.
E. H. W.
The subscription to this Bulletin is $1.00 per year.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II APRIL 21. 1928 NO. 2
Early Flowers. In front of the Administration Building Magnolia
stelLata is rapidly opening its pure white flowers and we hope that
Jack Frost will this year spare the blossoms. The Red Maple {Acer
rubrnm) is still aglow, and the Katsura {Cercidiphyllum japonicum)
is on some trees pushing forth its crimson-anthered stamens, on others
its scarlet pistils. The Yellow root {Xanthorrhiza apiifolia) along-
side the roads is opening its lurid purple, panicled flowers, which are
outwardly as much unlike a Buttercup or Clematis, to which family
it belongs, as those of any plant seemingly could be. The petals have
fallen from David’s Peach (Pranus Davidiana) ; the Leatherwood
(Dirca palustris) and the Mezereon {Daphne Mezerenm) are passing
out of blossom but the Spicebush {Benzoin aestivale) is rapidly open-
ing its yellow clustered flowers. In the Shrub Garden the first of the
Honeysuckles to bloom {Loiiicera praefiorens) has shed its pinkish
flowers but the bare stems of another, the white-flowered L. Standhhii,
are studded with gaping flowers.
Rhododendron dauricuin and its variety mncromdaUim are in full
blossom on Bussey Hill — the variety in a bold clum.p beneath the old
White Pines and the species itself a little distance beyond. Each year
these are the first of the Rhododendron clan to open their blossoms in
the Arboretum. The typical R. dauricnm is the more precocious of
the two. Often it makes a goodly showing in late autumn and again
in very early spring, but, unfortunately, its flowers are apt to be cut
by frost. It is a boreal plant, widespread from the Altai Mountains
in central Siberia eastward to the Japan Sea, and it is also found in
Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. Introduced into cultiva-
tion in England so long ago as 1780, it is a better garden plant in
New England than on the other side of the Atlantic, It is a much-
branched shrub, growing from 5 to 6 feet tall, with twiggy branches
and more or less oval leaves, each from IV2 to 2 inches long and very
fragrant when bruised. They vary greatly in degree of persistence.
On some bushes the leaves change to yellow and blackish bronze and
fall in late autumn ; on others they pei'sist through the winter and
5
6
remain dark green. The flowers, each developed from a separate bud,
are clustered at the end of the shoot. The corolla is flattened, bright
red-purple and about IV2 inches across. There is a variety seinper-
virens with persistent, smaller leaves and smaller flowers but it has
little value as an ornamental plant. The variety mucromdatum is a
better garden plant than the type and its flowers are more pleasing
in color, being a cheerful rosy purple and devoid of any suspicion of
magenta. The corolla is more bell-shaped with pointed lobes and the
plant is exceedingly floriferous. It is entirely deciduous, blossoming
a little later than the species, and in consequence suffers less from late
frosts in spring. In its typical form the variety looks quite distinct
from the species but every connecting link exists. This plant is very
common in Korea, where in open forests of Larch it is an erect twiggy
bush often 10 feet tall. It is also found in the Chinese province of
Chihli and in general may be regarded as a southeastern form of the
species. It was discovered on the mountains west of Pekin about 1835
by Dr. P. Y. Kirilow, but was not introduced into cultivation in this
country until 1882, when Dr. E. Bretschneider sent seeds to the
Arboretum. It flowered for the first time in the spring of 1888 and
each season since has never failed to produce abundant blossom in
the spring, and a mass of pleasingly tinted foliage in the autumn.
Along with it on Bussey Hill may be seen a newly recognized variety,
(ciliatum) which, however, is indistinguishable except for the pres-
ence of a few hairs on the margins of the leaves and petioles. There
is said to be a white variety (album), but we have not seen it in culti-
vation. In Europe, the British Isles in particular, a favorite and
very early-flowering Rhododendron is R. praecox, a hybrid between
R. dauiicuyu and the Himalayan R. ciliatum. This has persistent
foliage and broad, funnel-form, rose-purple to lilac-colored flowers,
each about IV2 inches in diameter. Unfortunately, in the Arboretum
this plant merely exists and each year the foliage and flowers are
ruined by frosts, indeed, so far as New England is concerned R. prae-
cox is worthless as a hardy shrub, but those who have greenhouses
will be well advised to grow this plant in tubs since it is really one of
the most delightful of early-flowering Rhododendrons.
Cornus officinalis has not before blossomed so abundantly in the
Arboretum. The bushes on the right of Meadow Road just beyond
the Phellodendron trees are now a most pleasing sight with their
clustered, star-shaped, clear yellow blossoms with prominent stamens.
This is the Oriental relative of the familiar Cornelian Cherry (Cornus
mas) and is native of central and southern Korea; also it is said to
grow wild in the Chinese province of Chekiang. In Japan it has long
been cultivated for its fruits, considered by the peoples of the Orient
to possess valuable medicinal properties. In Korea C. officinalis as
a wild tree grows about 35 feet tall with a trunk 4 feet in girth and an
erect-spreading, rather irregular crown. The fruits are bright red,
thinner and more oblong than those of the better known Coruus 7nas,
In New England this Cornel ought to be generally grown. At present
it is little known and quite rare in gardens, although named and fig-
ured in 1839 by Siebold and Zuccarini in their “Flora Japonica,” vol.
Early-flowering Rhododendron {dauricum var. mucronulatum)
8
I, -page 100, t. 50. The barks of trees often afford g-ood and obvious
distinguishing characters when those of flower and foliage are lack-
ing or obscure. C. officinalis is a very good case in point. In flower
and leaf this and the Cornelian Cherry (C. mas) are well-nigh indis-
tinguishable— at any rate, they are so much alike that only a skilled
observer notes the difference. The bracts enclosing the flowers are
less concave and more sharply pointed, the pedicels are longer, the
sepals a little larger and more acute, the petals narrower and more
pointed and less recurved in C. officinalis; but these differences are all
relative and inconstant. When grown side by side the flowers of C.
officinalis are seen to be of a brighter yellow and the inflorescence
rather more lax. The barks, however, are totally different. That of
C. mas is close in texture, dark grey, blackish in appearance, and is
firmly adherent on the branches for many years, becoming rough and
flaking off in small patches and showing a grey undersurface on the
trunk and old branches. In C. officinalis the bark is red-brown, split-
ting and peeling the second or third year into translucent papery
shreds which cling to the branches and with the light showing-
through, present a pleasing appearance; on the trunk it is grey, soft
and spongy in texture, and, peeling off, exposes a pale brown under-
surface.
Ccrnus mas. Before the advent of the Oriental Witch-Hazels this
was greatly appreciated in gardens as the first of spring-flowering
shrubs to open its blossoms. In New England it has been very gen-
erally planted and in the early spring, when its naked twigs are
starred with yellow and in the autumn, when laden with its scarlet
fruits, the tree is pleasant to lock upon. In southeastei-n Europe
the inspissated juice of this fruit is made into sherbet.
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is situated in
Jamaica Plain, Boston, some five miles from the State House on the
main parkway and near the Forest Hills terminus of the Elevated
Railway. It is easily reached by automobile or by trolley car and is
open from sunrise to sunset every day in the year. It was established
in 1872 for the cultivation and study of all the woody plants that can
withstand the climate of Massachusetts. Its present area is about 260
acres and the collections comprise some 6,500 species and varieties of
tree, shrub and vine. There are nine entrance gates, of which Forest
Hills Gate may be considered the principal one. The Administration
Building containing offices, library and herbarium is situated just
within the Jamaica Plain Gate. At this building an illustrated guide
book, price 50 cents, and picture postcards, price 50 cents per set of
twelve, are on sale; a sketch map of the Arboretum may be obtained
free. E. H. W.
The subscription to this Bulletin is Sl.OO per year.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II APRIL 28, 1928 NO. 3
Winter Elfects. The usual practice has been to treat of this sub-
ject in the first Bulletin but the past winter has been of such a
unusual character that it was thought wise to defer comments until
later. The winter, so far as this part of Massachusetts is concerned,
will go down in history as an extremely mild one. There has been
very little zero weather, a marked absence of snow, and frost did
not penetrate to any great distance into the ground. A good deal of
freezing and thawing caused many small surface-rooting plants
to suffer from heaving and it will be a week or two yet before the
full effects of this are known. Deciduous trees, shrubs and vines
in the Arboretum have passed through the winter without any
noticeable damage. Conifers, Yews, Rhododendrons and other tall-
growing evergreens have also wintered remarkably well. On the
other hand, dwarf broad-leaf evergreens, such as are known gener-
ally as ground-covers, suffered more than for many winters past.
The marked absence of snow, especially in February and March, is
to blame for this. A moment’s reflection will show that the more
low-growing the plant the more accustomed it is to a winter blanket
of snow and to the benefit of the slightest precipitation. The taller
evergreens can get along without a heavy snowfall always supposing
that the frost does not penetrate so deeply into the ground that their
roots cannot function during late F'ebruary and March.
Heather, both in exposed places and in partial shade, has suffered
more in the Arboretum than for long past and we learn that simil-
arly evil results obtain elsewhere. This damage to the Heather was
accelerated by seme dishonest person surreptitiously taking a lot
of wood for cuttings in December. Experience has shown that any
cutting of Heather late in the year is attended with disastrous re-
sults. The Spring Heath {Erica caniea) in the Shrub Garden has
been badly damaged but the hybrid {E. darleyensis) has wintered well
on Bussey Hill. The shrubby Candytufts (Iberis sempervirens and
/. Tenoreana), the common Periwinkle {Vinca minor) and Pachistima
Canhyi, all of which usually suffer no winter damage, are badly
browned. The low-growing Mahonia repens, usually considered quite
9
10
hardy, has its foliage much scorched, whereas, side by side with it
in the Shrub Garden the taller Mahonia Aquifolium, which normally
suffers each winter, has come through unscathed. The lesson of the
winter so far as evergreens are concerned would appear to be that
the more dwarf the plant the more dependent its well-being is upon a
covering of snow. In the absence of snow a protective covering of
some sort should be laid over groundcovers during February and
March.
The Oriental Witch-Hazels, Cornelian Cherry and Forsythias have
never given a finer display of blossom. The Japanese Cherries are
rich with promise of abundant blossom, and, so too, are the Crab-
apples and Azaleas. The Lilacs made a wonderful growth last
year and unless something untoward happens will produce a goodly
show of blossoms, making amends for what they lack in quantity by
size of flowering truss. So far as one can judge in these last days
of April there is every reason to expect an unusually good season
of flowers.
Autumn Transplanting. The Arboretum has always favored spring
planting and transplanting but owing to the shortness of the season
it is not possible to accomplish all of this work that is necessary in
a garden of 260 acres. Some of the collections had become crowded
and a general transplanting of relatively large shrubs and trees
was urgent so the experiment of autumn transplanting was tried
last fall. The weather during the season was particularly suitable
for such work and the mild winter has doubtless contributed to the
favorable results of the experiment. Three large Magnolias moved
early in September have not suffered at all. In the same month a
collection of Chinese Spruces and Silver Firs was moved to a site
near the Administration Building and these too came through un-
scathed. Two gcodly sized trees of the Japanese Spring Cherry
{Pnunis siihhirtellu ) were moved to the Forest Hills Gate, appar-
ently without suffering the slightest reverse. Regrouping and ar-
ranging of miscellaneous Azaleas on Bussey Hill was carried through.
Among others. Rhododendron Schlippcnhachii, always a difficult sub-
ject to move, seems to have experienced no ill effects. Indeed, a
critical examination of all the plants moved last fall reveals most
gratifying results. It would appear from this experiment that if
the autumn be favorable and the work started early and finished by
mid-November a good deal of heavy transplanting can be done with-
out fear of loss. After good rains have fallen the latter half of
August and September is an excellent time for moving Conifers and
Yew's, and, indeed, evergreens of all sorts; October is the month for
transplanting deciduous shrubs and trees. The endeavor should be
to finish the work while the ground still retains a good deal of the
heat absorbed during summer.
Pieris floribunda is a good-natured, hardy, broad-leaf evergreen
not so much used in gardens as its merits warrant. The first of
the broad-leaf evergreen shrubs to blossom, it is at the end of
April and in early May decidedly attractive. It is a native of the
A valuable broad-leaf evergreen {Pieris Jiorihunda).
12
southern Appalachians from Virginia to Georgia, being known in
cultivation since 1811 and is perfectly hardy in New England. A
dense, more or less rounded, hummock-like bush, it is sometimes as
much as 12 feet high and twice that in diameter. The best plant
in the Arboretum is less than half these dimensions and may be
seen facing the Kalmias on the right of Hemlock Hill Road. Al-
though this plant is scarcely flowering so freely this year as it
usually does another in the Shrub Garden is abundantly covered-
with short, erect panicles of milk-white flowers. Each flower is urn-
shape, nodding and a hundred or more are collected together in each
terminal cluster. The leaves are dull green, oblong to lance-shaped,
each 11/^ to 2 inches long and are retained on the bush for three or
four seasons. More widely known as Andromeda floribunda, this
plant, which should be propagated by seeds, though slow-growing,
is long lived. Less hardy but more beautiful is the Japanese species,
Pieris japonica, which has longer, lustrous dark green leaves, of a
ruddy hue when young, and spreading, hanging panicles of larger
flowers. In the Arboretum this plant does moderately well in the
shade of the Hemlock Grove but there are other gardens in the
vicinity of Boston where handsome bushes may be seen. It is taller
and more tree-like in habit than the American species and at its best
forms a dome-shaped mass as much as 20 feet tall. It is a special
feature of the relatively dry Pine woods of the southern half of
Japan and nowhere are finer specimens to be seen than in the park at
Nara, the old capital of Japan. Two other species, neither of them
hardy in New England, are in cultivation in this country and for
those who garden in the South and in California they are extremely
valuable plants. The better known of the two is P. formosa, native
of the Himalayas from Nepal eastward and also common on the
mountains of western and central China. The other, P. taiw((n€)mL^,
is indigenous on the, high mountains of Formosa and was introduced
into cultivation by the Arboretum in 1917. In habit these shrubs
resemble the Japanese species but have even largei- flowers borne in
arching, sometimes erect, spreading panicles. They are good shrubs
for the cool greenhouse but otherwise cannot be thought of for the
gardens of New England.
Corylopsis is a genus of Oriental shrubs closely related to the
Witch-Hazels but unlike the latter not very hardy in New England.
All the species agree in having yellow, slightly fragrant flowers borne
in short racemes on naked twigs, and, as their name suggests, in
habit of growth they singularly resemble the Common Hazel. The
flower buds are formed in the autumn and the flowers are among the
first of spring blossoms to appear. The mild winter has been favor-
able to these shrubs and it is many years since the plants on Centre
Street Path were so full of blossoms as they now are. The oldest
species in cultivation are C. spicata and C. pancifiora from Japan,
but the hardiest of the group is C. Gotoana, seeds of which were first
sent to the Arboretum by Mr. J. G. Jack in 1905 from Shinano
province, central Japan. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II MAY 3, 1928 NO. 4
The Fore.st Hills Gate, the most popular of the entrances to the
Arboretum, is just now the mecca of all interested in early flower-
ing shrubs and trees. On the right just within the gates a collection
of Japanese Cherries is in full blossom and in the distance, on the
left, the Forsythias still form a cascade of rich yellow. At almost
every season of the year there is something of particular interest im-
mediately within this gate and the Japanese Cherries assembled there
are a never failing feast of spring beauty. The sunny situation
suits them and the well-drained sandy and gravelly loam is to their
liking. Each year they make a good growth and clothe themselves
with a crop of blossoms. An occasional dressing of bone-meal or
cow-dung is amply repaid by the increased quantity of flowers. They
are among the simplest plants to cultivate if a proper beginning is
made. We have stated that their successful culture is dependent
upon starting right and this means that the plants must either be of
seedling origin or be grafted or budded on a congenial stock. The
need of budding or grafting applies mainly to the double-flowered
Cherries with which at the moment we are not concerned. The
single-flowered types with a few exceptions may be raised from seeds,
a fact that should delight that ever increasing class of tree-lovers
who enjoy raising their own plants. These Cherries fruit more or
less freely each year and if one can outwit that voracious immi-
grant, the European Starling, there is no difficulty in collecting a
sufficient quantity. The pulp should be washed away, the seeds dried,
stored in a cool place and sown in beds or boxes the following autumn
and allowed to get frozen in the winter. A few, sometimes many,
will germinate the following spring but the majority will lie in the
ground until the second season. The seedlings grow rapidly and by
transplanting several times and pruning to a single stem a sup-
ply of young trees ready to set out in permanent situations may be
had in three or four years from the time of germination.
The Cherry-blossom season in Japan is, as lovers of flowers well
know, the great spring festival of that land and the occasion of a
national holiday decreed by the Emperor. Like all festivals, de-
13
14
pendent upon the weather, it is of a somewhat movable nature but
usually it takes place early in April when thousands of Cherry-trees
in Tokyo burst into bloom. At what period in the history of Japan
the Cherry became established as the favorite flower is unknown,
but its roots are in the dim and distant past. According’ to Japanese
folklore the Cherry-tree itself is a lovely princess named Konohana
Sakuya-Hime, reincarnate, the color of the petals being that of the
blushes which suffused the cheeks of this bewitching damsel. From
this pretty legend is derived the name Sakura now universally ap-
plied to the Cherry-tree in Japan. According to one Japanese au-
thority the double-flowered varieties have been known for fully a
thousand years and the single-flowered types were favorites before
them. Today throughout the length and breadth of Japan Cherries
are planted in temple grounds, in the parks and courtyards sur-
rounding the old castles, in the cottager’s little garden along the
roadsides, and as street trees in the greater cities. That Japanese
Cherries can be cultivated as successfully in this country as in Japan,
is now being demonstrated. The largest collection and one that is
fast becoming famous is that in Potomac Park, Washington, D. C.,
which owes its origin to the generosity of the city of Tokyo, which,
in 1912 presented some 2,000 trees. Among them were nearly 1,000
trees of the Yoshino or Tokyo Cherry {Pmmis yedoensis) which,
planted around the tidal basin, in, March and early April now draw
thousands of visitors to the capital. In New York City this same
Tokyo Cherry does well, flowering profusely each spring and the city
fathers would be well advised to plant ten thousand of this tree in
Central Park. They would probably prove short-lived on the shallow
soil and under the conditions which obtain in New York City, but with
a little forethought a continual supply of new trees could be main-
tained, for they are exceedingly rapid growing. In Boston the
winters are a little too severe for the Tokyo Cherry to give of its
best, and to insure a Cherry-blossom season here the Spring and
Sargent Cherries have to be relied upon. In California all the
Japanese Cherries can be successfully grown, including, around
Pasadena and Los Angeles, the wonderful P. campanulata with its
multitude of bell-shaped, red flowers.
Prunus subhirtella, the Spring Cherry of Japan, is one of the most
beautiful of all the lesser flowering trees. It is exceedingly flo-
riferous year after year, and its blossoms last longer than those of
other single-flowered types. The first trees to blossom in western
gardens are the two which now form a broad, rounded mass on the
right within the Forest Hills Gate. These were sent to the Arbore-
tum from the Botanic Garden, Tokyo, in 1894. Visitors to Tokyo,
Yokohama, Kyoto and other well-known cities will not see this par-
ticular Cherry, the explanation being that it is known only from
the western and more out-of-the-way parts of Japan which accounts
for its late appearance in western gardens. The when or how of
its origin is unknown but it is undoubtedly a dwarf form of a
Cherry widely distributed throughout Japan, southern Korea and
Chinese Almond {Prunus triloba)
16
China, which is known by the name of Prunus subhirtella ascendens.
This is a large tree, sometimes 75 feet tall with a trunk 12 feet in
girth with a wide crown made up of stout branches. In some of
the Tokyo parks, notable that of Ueno, groves and avenues of this
Cherry-tree may be seen, but the display of blossoms is never very
abundant. The Rosebud Cherry {Prumis subhirtella pendula) is
another sport and this, on account of its pleasing habit of growth,
was one of the first trees brought to this country from Japan. An-
other Cherry belonging to this group is Prunus subhirtella au-
tuynnalis, a small tree with many twiggy branches and more or less
vase-shaped when young. It is a precocious plant with semi-double
pink blossoms, which sometimes appear in the autumn but in other
years sparsely in autumn and abundantly the next spring as is the
case this year. Owing to this peculiarity, it is known when it
flowers in the autumn as the Jugatsu-zakura or October-flowering
Cherry and in the spring as the Yaye-higan or Double-flowered Spring
Cherry. P. subhirtella and its varieties when raised from seeds
mostly revert to the wild type (var. ascendens) but a certain per-
centage come true. The type suckers and all the varieties may be
rooted from softwood cuttings taken with a heel in June but they
are difficult to establish afterwards. Of this Cherry, to obtain
long-lived examples they should be budded or grafted on their own
seedlings. They form a little group by themselves and are apparent-
ly not happy when worked on any related stock.
Prunus incisa is absolutely hardy in the Arboretum and rivals
P. subhirtella in abundance of blossom. This Cherry is a feature
of the region in and around Mt. Fuji and is of particular interest
in that it blossoms freely when quite young. As the petals fall the
calyx becomes bright colored and adds fully a week to the spring
beauty of this tree.
Prunus triloba. Among the spring-flowering shrubs are several
different species of Prunus closely akin to the Cherries. Of these
/*. to}nentos<( , P. japonica and P. cjlandulosa, the two latter with
double-flowered forms, are well known and highly appreciated. The
most popular of this group, however, is P. triloba, the so-called
Chinese Almond. When well grown this makes a broad bush 12 feet
high and 20 feet in diameter. Its slender rigid stems are densely
packed with double pink blossoms, which look like small Roses. It is
a very satisfactory shrub and one that can be used in many ways
in gardens. In England a favorite custom is to grow this plant
against a wall espalier fashion, pruning it severely each year after
flowering. Grown in this manner it is a curtain of pink in the
early spring. More beautiful perhaps is the semi-double variety
(multiplex) which was sent to the Arboretum by William Purdom in
1909. The wild type (var. simplex) is a charming shrub with small
pure pink blossoms, yellowish red fruit the size of an ordinary Cherry,
hairy but not palatable. This was first raised in this country from
seeds which Dr. E. Bretschneider sent to the Arboretum in 1883.
Prunus triloba is much cultivated in gardens of Pekin, where it is
known as the Elm Leaf Prunus (Yu-ye-mei). E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II MAY 12, 1928 NO. 5
Forest Hills Gate is still the most attractive entrance to the
Arboretum. The Japanese Cherries are rapidly passing out of bloom
but their white-flowered European relatives, Primus avium and P.
Cerasus, of both of which there are varieties with double flowers, are
just coming into blossom. A tree of P. serrulnta spontanea is in
bloom on the right and a little further down a bed of the low, twiggy
P. japonica Nakaii from Korea. The different forms of the Chinese
Almond are still in good condition. On the left a fine tree of the
North China Pear (Pyrus ussuriensis ovoidea) is laden with a mul-
titude of flowers and nearby other species are pushing forth their
blossoms from among gray-tinted foliage. Pink Mains micromalus,
first of the Asiatic Crabapples with colored blossoms to open, will
soon be in full bloom. Across the little pond and beyond the Cherries
some of the American Plums are sheeted in white. The Canadian
Plum, earliest of the species to bloom, is passing but many others are
at their best. On the left the Forsythias still make a goodly display
of yellow and beyond, the Lilacs are showing their flower buds.
In the Shrub Garden many of the bushes are bursting into leaf.
The earliest of the Spiraeas (S. arguta) is wreathed in white and of
the Flowering Currants Ribes aiireum is in bloom. The Asiatic
Quinces are beginning to open their brilliantly colored flowers and
in a week or so the whole garden will be full of leaf and blossom. In
one bed a broad, round-topped bush of the Oriental Prinsepia sinensis
is laden with rich yellow flowers nestling among the half-grown green
leaves, and the air around is filled with the fragrance of almonds
from the multitude of blossoms. It has been growing in the Arbore-
tum since 1903, has never suffered winter injury and is a greater
favorite with us each succeeding year. The Shrub Garden is a never
failing source of interest to all visitors, filled as it is with a general
miscellany of shrubs. It is not by any means an ideal situation for
such a collection for it is low lying, suffers from the first frosts in
the autumn and the last frosts in spring, and in zero weather the
aeration is particularly bad. It is, however, the only flat piece of
17
18
land of any size that the Arboretum possesses, moreover, on account
of its situation it serves a splendid purpose as a test garden. Visitors
may be assured of the hardiness anywhere in New England of the
plants they see growing in the Shrub Garden.
Bussey Hill is at all seasons one of the most interesting places in
the Arboretum. Gathered together there are collections of the new^er
Chinese shrubs, Japanese Cherries, Oriental Pears, Azaleas and other
ornamental plants. Seme of the earlier Cherries have shed their
petals but the Japanese double-flowered forms and some with single
flowers are just beginning to make their display w’hich will continue
for about ten days. A few blossoms remain on Rhododendron dauri-
cum niucronulatvm and the buds on R. Schlippenbachii and R. yedo-
ensis ponkhetnense are showing color. Soon there will be broad
drifts of these plants in full bloom. From the summit of the hill
looking in many directions fine views of the Arboretum can be had.
Pleasing to the eye are the young unfolding leaves of the Birches, and
scattered fleecy drifts of Shadblow’s arrest attention. In a few' more
days bush and tree will be clothed in spring verdure. The collection
of Oriental Pears on Bussey Hill is fairly complete. The first to
blossom is Pyrus nftsnriensis, w’hose flow'ers in bud are often tinged
with pink. In northeastern Asia this Pear grow’s to a large size
and varieties of it are cultivated throughout Korea, Manchuria and
North China. The wild type of the Chinese Sand Pear {Pyrns
serotina) and the related P. sornlata may be seen side by side.
With them are vigorous trees of P. Callenyana, also a Chinese species.
This last-named species of Pear on account of its almost com-
plete immunity to the dreaded fire-blight disease is likely to be of
great value as an understock on which to graft varieties of the Com-
mon Pear. From an economic point of view it is possible that P,
CdUeryuno may prove to be the most valuable tree the Arboretum has
introduced into America. The Oriental Pear trees are rapid-growing
and free-flow’ering, yet it is doubtful if they ever will become popu-
lar as ornamental trees, although the leaves assume rich tones of
crimsen and bronze in the late fall. The flowers are usually dead
white and the only touch of color to be found is the anthers. The
fruits are small, russet-colored and unattractive when compared wdth
the bright hues of Crabapple fruits.
I*eters Hill is noted for its collection of Hawthorns but on the top
is to be found a rich and varied collection of miscellaneous trees.
There on the highest land air and root drainage are both good and a
greater number of trees thrive there than elsew'here in the Arboretum.
For example, it is the only place where the Chinese Cedar (Cedrela
sinenfiis) w'ill live. Among the miscellaneous trees at the moment sev-
eral Asiatic Cherries are in full bloom. On the broad slope the Haw-
thorns are rapidly pushing forth their green leaves among which
nestle the flower clusters. The green leav'es and fragrance of the
Balsam and other Poplars by the raihvay are refreshing to both
eye and nostril. At the foot of the hill, flanking Bussey Street, the
collection of Asiatic Crabapples promises soon to be a mass of bloom,
A Valuable Introduction Pyrus Calleryana.
20
indeed, their vanguard, Mahis baccata and its variety inandschurica,
are in open flower. In this Crabapple the flowers are fragrant and
may be either pure white or tinged with pink.
Centre Street Path, which is entered from the right of the Centre
Street Gate, is bordered with a general miscellany of shrubs and
trees. This section is protected somewhat from the north winds
and a number of plants elsewhere tender in the Arboretum are grown
here. At the moment Corylopsis pauciflora, C. spicata and C.
Gotccnin may be seen in good blossom, the original plant of Prinsepia
sinensis, less shapely than its daughter in the Shrub Garden, is
burdened with almond-scented flowers and nearby the Chinese Red-
bud may be seen, its naked stems studded with brightly colored
flowers. The Path makes a pleasant walk now and later. It leads
beneath the shade of Hickories, past the mixed border of rare shrubs
to the collection of Deutzias and Spiraeas and beyond to the Conifers.
('ercis chinensis. It is to be regretted that the Chinese Redbud is
not just a little more hardy. It does splendidly on Long Island and
further south but in the Aiboretum it only survives in a sheltered
site along. Centre Street Path. This tree is widely dispersed in
eastern and central China, where it is often 45 feet tall with a
trunk 5 feet in girth. The foliage in the autumn assumes fine tints.
Such trees when laden with blossPms in the spring are conspicuous
from afar. In the Arboretum, however, it is only a bush but it
blooms freely and the flowers are larger and better colored than that
of the native Redbud {C. canadensis).
Staphylea holocarpa is now for the first time blossoming freely in
the Arboretum. There are two plants on Centre Street Path and
the larger of the two is nicely furnished with white, hanging, clus-
tered blossoms. Among the lesser trees of China this Staphylea is
one of the most noteworthy. It is common on the margins of woods
and thickets in central China, where it was discovered by Augustine
Henry in 1888 but was not introduced until 1908 when Wilson sent
seeds to the Arboretum. Usually a large bush, it sometimes forms
a shapely tree from 25 to 30 feet tall with a slender trunk clothed
with smooth, grayish bark. The flowers in pendulous, cymose clus-
ters, each from 2 to 4 inches long, are borne on the naked shoots and
are usually open before the 3-foliolate leaves, which subtend them,
are expanded. The flowers are often suffused with pink but usually
the sepals are pink and the petals white. The flowers are rich in
honey and are much sought after by sunbirds, tiny brilliantly plum-
aged birds, which in Asia take the place of the humming birds of
America. It is particularly gratifying that this ornamental tree
should prove hardy in Massachusetts.
Docent Service. Commencing Sunday, May 13th, free public walks
through the Arboretum under the guidance of Mr. G. M. Merrill will
start from the Forest Hills Gate at 3 p. m. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II MAY 19, 1928 NO. 6
Bussey Hill now holds the main attractions of the Arboretum.
Interesting- at all seasons of the year, it is particularly beautiful
now with the wealth of blossoms on the Japanese Cherries, Crab-
apples and Azaleas and the varied tinted young unfolding foliage. To
the south and southeast the black-green of Hemlock Hill, the Cedars
of Lebanon and the White Pine create a fine background. On the horizon
the Blue Hills are bathed in blue or violet mists ; to the west the gray
and red-brown tones in flower and unfolding leaf of the Oaks, add
not a little to the beauty of the scene and in a dell below, the Junipers
and Arborvitae form restful groups. The charm of spring rules,
birds are giving forth their music, peace and quietude reign and it is
difficult to realize that this, all this, is within five miles of the State
House in Boston.
The Japanese Cherries that stud the grassy knoll of Bussey Hill
are this year particularly full of blossom. Most of the single flower-
ing varieties have shed their petals and the double-flowered forms
now hold the field. The blossoms vary in color from purest white td
the deepest of rose-pink, while one or two sorts are greenish yellow,
a color unique among the great Cherry family. They vary a great
deal in time of blossoming; some of the earliest kinds are now at
their zenith, while on others the buds have scarcely begun to unfold.
Six of the best arei-Horinji with pure pink blossoms. Homogena with
rose-pink, Masuyama with pink, Shogetsu with almost white deli-
cately edged with pale pink, Albo-rosea with pink passing to pure
white as the flowers age and Sekiyama red in the bud and finally deep
rose-pink. The two latter are the last to open their blossoms.
In many of the forms the peduncle is long and the flowers hang down-
ward; in others the peduncle is short and the flowers are densely
clustered around the whole branch. The best of the pure white
double-flowered sorts is Sirotae, but, unfortunately, this has very
large flower-buds and frequently suffers during the winter. Among
the semi-double or nearly single-flowered sorts now in blossom Kiri-
gaya with pale blushing flowers, the fragrant pure white Affinis and
21
22
the extremely fragrant Gozanomanioi are particularly attractive,
owing to the purity of their blossoms and the delightful fragrance
which the flowers emit. Visitors are always attracted by the unusual,
so Grandiflora and Gioiko with greenish yellow flowers, finer than
ever before in the Arboretum, are sure of many admirers. The
beauty of these Japanese Cherries is accentuated by bronze-colored
young unfclding leaves which top the blossoms.
During the past ten years many references to Japanese Cherries
have appeared in these Bulletins, and the Arboretum has exerted
considerable effort toward putting them properly before flower lovers
of this country. Unfortunately, these double and semi-double forms
cannot be raised from seed, nor can they be rooted from cuttings
hence recourse lias to be made to budding and grafting. The process,
simple enough in itself, is one in which the right kind of understock
is of paramount importance if we are to have healthy, long-lived
specimens in our gardens. The practice among nurserymen has
been, and I regret to say still is, to graft them on understocks of the
European species. For reasons which we do not understand, these
understocks are unsuited to the purpose. For a year or two all
appears to be well but after a short period of time the incompati-
bility becomes evident, the plant lingers awhile and finally dies. In
this country double-flowered Japanese Cherries have been known for
more than sixty years, yet today there is scarcely a good ten-year-old
specimen in the country. The proper understock for Japanese Cher-
ries in their own parent species and until these be used there will be
no long-lived, healthy specimens to be found in gardens. The Arbore-
tum has distributed great quantities of seeds of the native species for
the avowed purpose of having double-flowered sorts budded or grafted
thereon, but so far with little or no success. One fears that until the
public arouses itself and demands that it be supplied with properly
grown material, the nurserymen will continue to pursue the rough
and ready methods that bring quickest returns without thought of the
plants’ permanence in gardens.
Rhododendron Schlippenbachii is now beautifully in blossom on
Bussey Hill. Last autumn the whole collection was moved and
grouped together and seems to have enjoyed the experience. This is
a northern plant which starts into growth very early in the spring
and, like many other such plants, is difficult to move at that season,
the young growth being prone to wilt under the heat of strong sun.
In early autumn, how'ever, it can be moved as readily as any other
Azalea. It is a rather slow-growing species but sturdy of habit and
with its large pure pink, funnel-shaped blossoms is among the most
lovely of all Azaleas. It is abundant in open woods and on exposed
mountainsides in central and northern Korea; it also occurs on one or
two mountains in Japan, and, though first brought into cultivation in
1893, did not reach us in quantity until 1917. It is among the
hardiest of all Azaleas, should be raised from seeds and planted
widely.
Rhododendron yedoense poukhanense is another Korean Azalea, be-
ing particularly abundant in the neighborhood of Seoul, the capital of
An Asiatic Crabapple, Malus haccata.
24
Korea, and southward. In open country it often forms broad car-
pets, but in habit of growth it varies from a dense groundcover a few
inches high to a bush from 5 to 6 feet tall. It has relatively large
lavender-purple flowers, a color which some people do not find
attractive, but when massed and alone it is by no means displeasing.
It is abundantly floriferous, the flowers very fragrant, and the habit
of the plant is compact and good. Its hardiness is beyond question
and, all in all, it really is a worthy member of a beautiful clan, as
those who will visit the group now in full bloom on Bussey Hill must
agree.
Crabapples. The Asiatic Crabapples are now at their best. A
majority of the sorts are blooming with great freedom but here and
there a tree which overdid itself last year is taking a holiday. Among
a group so beautiful it is hard to pick out the most attractive kind.
Certainly, one of the very finest is Malus theifera, which was pic-
tured in this Bulletin last year. The several plants now laden with
blossoms are worth coming a long way to see. The habit of the plant
is very distinct and the characteristic, stiff, erect-spreading branches
are clothed from base to summit with blossoms which, quite red in
bud, change to rose-pink and finally to almost white. The snecies is
native of China and is one of the few Crabapples that breeds true
from seed. The best specimens are to be seen in the general Crab-
apple collection at the foot of -Peters Hill, which is most easily
reached either from the Bussey Street Gate or from the Walter
Street Gate. Another specimen may be seen on the left a short dis-
tance within the Forest Hills Gate and another on Bussey Hill.
Mai us spectabilis was the first of the Asiatic Crabapples in-
troduced into western gardens, being sent from China to England be-
fore 1780. This well-known Crabapple is a tree of modei-ate size,
sometimes 30 feet tall with a vase-shaped crown of ascending-spread-
ing branches and arching branchlets. The flowers vary from semi-
double to quite double and are of a delicate shade of pink. It has
been cultivated in China from immemorial time and its wild parent
is unknown. In bocks statements that the flowers are single or
double are frequently to be found and so long ago as 1825 a single
flowered form was figured in Watson’s “Dendrologia,” yet this form
appears never to have become common in gardens nor to have been
endowed with a name. In 1917 the Arboretum received from the
Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., scions of an un-
known Crabapple which were taken from a tree growing in the
grounds of a temple west of Peking, China. These were grafted
and one has grown into a handsome tree which is now in full
blossom. It proves to be the single flowered form of Malus specta-
bilis and a plant of much garden merit. The flowers are fully an
inch across, pink in color, and abundantly produced amid a wealth of
bright green, young leaves. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II MAY 24. 1928 NO. 7
Cornus florida. Rarely has there been such a display of Flower-
ing- Dogwood in the Arboretum and the vicinity of Boston as at the
present moment. On Long Island and southward the abundant blos-
soms of this tree are an annual spectacle but hereabouts it is only
when favored by a mild winter that it flowers freely. Entitled to
rank among the most beautiful of the lesser trees of northern forests,
Cornus florida has an immense range of distribution, being found
from eastern Massachusetts to southern Ontario and southwestern
Missouri, southward to central Florida and the valley of the Brazos
River in Texas, and reappearing on the mountain ranges of eastern
and southern Mexico. Comparatively rare in northern Massachu-
setts, the Flowering Dogwood is one of the commonest and most
generally distributed inhabitants of the deciduous forests of the
middle and southern states, forming an under story under the shade of
taller trees in rich, well drained soil from the coast well up toward
the summits of the Alleghany Mountains. It is a slender tree from
15 to 40 feet tall and has a light, airy, flattened crown with the
branches often in tiers. If examined in the autumn or winter the
branches will be found to be dotted with gray rounded studs. As
spring advances these swell and expand each into a cross, from 4 to
6 inches across at maturity, composed of four snow-white bracts
which become stained with pink as they age and fall. So freely are
the white crosses produced that the woodlands when viewed from
vantage points are filled with seemingly floating drifts of purest
white. The leaves, which develop as the showy bracts fall, are in
opposite pairs and in the autumn they become brilliantly tinted, red
or crimson passing to pink, with the under surface pale gray-white.
The fruit is erect, scarlet and teat-like, and clustered several together
add much to the beauty of the tree in the fall. The real flowers are
small and inconspicuous and are crowded together in the centre of
the cross. The Flowering Dogwood is at once the envy and despair
of our cousins across the Atlantic. Although introduced into the
British Isles so long ago as 1730 all efforts to grow it successfully
25
26
prove unavailing. Here and there a flowering specimen is known but
insufficient summer heat more than the changeful spring weather is
the cause of its failure under English skies.
Cornus florida rubra with rosy red bracts is a great favorite and
this year its bracts seem to be more highly colored than usual.
Rightly placed, say on a slope above a pond where it can be viewed
across the water in which the flowers are reflected, it is particularly
striking. It is often stated that all the Red Dogwood plants in
cultivation originated by vegetative propagation from one individual
tree discovered in the seventies of last century. As a matter of fact
it is beautifully figured on plate 27 of Catesby’s “Natural History of
Carolina” published in 1754. There is a variety (pendula) with stiff
pendulous branches, discovered about 1890 in the forests of Mary-
land, and another (plurihracteata) in which the number of bracts is
increased to six or eight and a few small bractlets in the center re-
place the flowers which are nearly all aborted. This form was dis-
covered in Orange County, North Carolina and propagated by Mr.
J. D. Van Lindley, Greensboro, who in 1914 sent a plant to the
Arboretum which, however, has not yet flowered. There is also a
variety (xanthocarpa) with yellow fruits but none of these are
likely to equal in popularity the type and the variety rubra.
Cornus kousa. The wonderful C. XuttoUii of western North
America, the Chino-Himalayan C. capitata, and C. kousa, which is
distributed from central China eastward through southern Korea into
.Japan, are three other tree species of Flowering Dogwood. The first
two are not hardy in the Arboretum but C. koiusa and its Chinese va-
riety, fortunately, are. Unlike the native C. fiorkla, these three
species flower after the leaves expand and their buds being enfolded
within the leaves enjoy a greater measure of protection. In the
Arboretum the flowers of C. kousa and its variety chinensis are
of greater bud hardiness than the native C. florida, and in conse-
quence are even more valuable garden plants. C. kousa does not
flower until mid-June or later, and its upstanding heads of rigid
slender stalks have a foil of rich green leaves below. The floral
heads, each from 5 to 6 inches across, are abundantly produced and
last for fully a month finally becoming pink before they fall. The
form from Japan to which the specific name belongs has been spar-
ingly in cultivation in the Occident since about 1830. The form from
China (var. chinensis) was introduced for the Arborteum by Wilson
in 1907. The bracts are larger and broader than is usual in the
Japanese type and often overlap to form a closed, flattened involucre
around the button-like mass of real flowers. Some experts acclaim this
the finest gift of China to western gardens; certainly it ranks high
in the realm of beauty among hardy flowering trees. The fruit of
Cornus kousa is red and strawberry-like, from V2 to % of an inch in
diameter, and is very attractive in the autumn suspended amid the
vari-tinted often vinous purple foliage. It is edible and the orange-
colored sweetish pulp is quite palatable though in it are imbedded
several large, hard, stony seeds. The native Flowering Dogwood has
Flowering Dogwood {Cornus Jlorida)
28
been freely planted about the Arboretum but the Japanese species is
confined to Centre Street Path and its Chinese variety to Bussey Hill,
Not before mid-June "will the Oriental Dogwoods be in blossom.
Bunchberries. It would seem a far cry from trees 30 to 80 feet
tall to lowly herbs a few inches high. But a glance at the flowers
shows that the relationship is very close between the Flowering
Dogwoods and the Bunchberries of North America {Co7'nus canadensis)
and of Europe and northern Asia (C. suecica). For shaded rockeries,
woodlands and sheltered nooks there are no prettier little plants than
these, howbeit they are rather coy unless they find soil and situation
exactly to their liking.
Fothergillas. Why are the Fothergillas so little known in gardens?
So long ago as 1765 one species (F. Gardenii) was in cultivation and
in 1780 a second species, now known as F\ major, was growing in
England. These are figured in the Botanical Magazine for 1810 (tt.
1341, 1342). The genus itself commemorates an old time worthy, one
Dr. John Fothergill, who in the 18th century had a garden at
Stratford-le-Bow famous for its collection of Ame.-ican plants,
Fothergillas are purely American shrubs, being native of the Alle-
ghany Mountains and adjacent parts of the southeastern states.
Three species are now recognized though the difference between two
of them (F. major and F. monticola) are admittedly s’ight. F. Gar-
denii, the first known, is really the poor relation of the group. All
three are very hardy shrubs, freely sending up erect shoots from the
base which branching plenteously form dense bushes. They are rela-
tives of the Witch-Hazels and resemble them closely in foliage. The
flowers, however, are very different in appearance consisting of long,
erect white stamens tipped with yellow anthers crowded together in
ovoid, rounded, 2-inch high clusters at the ends of the innumerable
naked branchlets. The whole inflorescence Is fragrant and very con-
spicuous, resembling a bottle-brush and quite different from that cf
any other hardy northern shrub. The shrubs a 'e very free-flower-
ing and in the autumn the leaves assume a brilliant crimson in the
case of F. Gardenii and red, orange and yellow in the other two
species. In habit F. ma 'or is a sturdy compact shrub, oval in gen-
eral outline and 10 feet and more tall. F. monticola is looser, more
spreading and less tall though equally vigorous. The other species
(F. Gardenii) is a more slender plant, seldom more than a yaid high,
with weak, often lolling stems, and smaller flower-clusters. In the
Arboretum these Fothergillas flourish, F. major and F. monticola
especially, in any soil and situation though a sandy peat soil and a
cool situation best meet their needs. They fruit freely but violently
eject their seeds, so careful watching is necessary if these be
needed. They may also be increased by cuttings of ripened wood
under glass, by layering and by suckers. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II MAY 26. 1928 NO. 8
Syringa vulgaris, the Common Lilac, is the most popular hardy
flowering shrub and the plant most strongly entrenched in the affec-
tions of New England people. In all probability it was one of the
first exotic plants introduced into this country but just when and
where this took place is unknown. This must have been soon after
the first settlers came to New England for it is a feature around old
houses on Cape Cod, around Newburyport, and other long established
towns and villages. Having withstood the vicissitudes of time, the
Lilac is in many places the only sign that marks the sites of old
homesteads. It appears to have been first cultivated in Constanti-
nople and from there to have reached Vienna about 1563. Later its
cultivation spread through western Europe. Its native habitat is
the mountains of Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkan Peninsula,
but this fact was not known until some three centuries after it had
been brought into general cultivation. Plants of the wild type may
be seen growing in the Arboretum collection. They have narrow clus-
ters of dull purplish and by no means attractive flowers. It is evident
that the Common Lilac of gardens was a form selected we know not
when. Luxuriant in growth, abundant of blossom and rich in fra-
grance, the long cultivated form is not surpassed in these virtues by
any of its numerous offspring.
Cultivation. The Common Lilac is one of the most accommodat-
ing shrubs, thrives in all sorts of queer places and often under
adverse conditions. However, it appreciates proper attention to site
and soil and its modern progeny demand it. A slope where the roots
can enjoy good drainage and the branches be fully exposed to sun
and air is the proper place to plant Lilacs. The soil should be a
good strong loam and if lime be present so much the better. Indeed,
if this be lacking, it must be supplied from time to time either in the
form of field lime or, better still, in that of bone-meal. The Lilac
is a gross feeder and to give of its best demands a liberal supply of
food, farmyard manure, especially cow-dung, being the best allround
fertilizer. In such soil and under such conditions the Common Lilac
29
30
and its very numerous progeny will flourish in the colder parts of
this country and in lower Canada. It is essentially a plant for cold
climates. In districts where the seasons are warmer than those of
New England the Lilac is apt to suffer from mildew during the sum-
mer months and in the warmer states, like Florida and California,
it is of little value. Its requirements are comparatively few. No
pruning other than that required to keep the bushes shapely is neces-
sary, but it should be remembered that no matter when pruning be
done it means loss of flower for one season. If the bushes, through
some cause or another, have become decrepit and unsightly, they may
be rejuvenated by cutting down to the ground. It is surprising how
good-natured Lilacs really are. They have this peculiarity, how-
ever, that they start into growth from the tops of the cut branches
and the young shoots are very easily broken off by the wind. It is
therefore advisable to cut them as near to the ground as is practicable.
The work should be done in late March or early April in order that
the plants may have the benefit of a full season in which to make
new growth. When such drastic treatment is necessary the plants
should be cultivated around and given a supply of fertilizer includ-
ing lime or bone-meal. In June when the new growth is at its
height nitrate of soda, sparingly applied to the outermost feeding
roots, which are some 2 to 3 feet from the center of the plant, will
be found beneficial. It is well to apply this nitrate on rainy days,
about three dressings at intervals of ten days being ample. The
collection of Lilacs in the Arboretum is a good illustration of the
result of severe pruning followed by liberal cultivation and feeding.
In the early spring of 1927 it was decided to prune the bushes
severely. After this was done they were given the treatment men-
tioned above and during the season made new growths of from 2
to 7 feet, which this year are carrying a goodly number of extra large
flower clusters. Following such pruning the weaker shoots should
be removed the succeeding winter.
Propagation. Authorities agree that Lilacs should be on their own
roots but the means of propagation best suited to attain this are dis-
puted. The Common Lilac suckers very freely and on this account,
except for standards, is worthless as an understock on which to graft
or bud the modern sorts. By nurserymen different species of Privet
are now generally used as understocks. The claim is that the Lilac
is most easily propagated by this manner, that it grows rapidly and
in the course of time develops its own root-system from the point
where the scion is inserted. All emphasize that in time Lilacs bud-
ded or grafted on the Privet and planted deep develop their own root-
system, but none say when, and in fairness to their customers they
should not sell such plants until this happy state of affairs has
become accomplished. That Lilacs budded or grafted low on Privet
make bushy, saleable plants in one or two years, is fact, but that
they make satisfactory garden plants is open to grave question. The
Lilac grows faster than the Privet understock as anyone who exam-
ines a plant so grafted will see. If the thumb be taken as the size
of the Lilac stem, the little finger will denote the relative thickness
A good white French Lilac, Vestale,
32
of the Privet understock. The root-system of the Privet understock
is insufficient to supply the Lilac plant with the amount of water and
food-salts necessary for its well-being and the result is, that the
foliage on such grafted bushes is usually small and malformed until
they develop their own root-system. From the point of view of those
who want healthy plants that will grow freely from the date of plant-
ing there are only two ways of propagating Lilacs. One is by layer-
ing and the other by cuttings. Layering is a simple method of
increasing not only Lilacs but nearly every other kind of shrub and
small tree and a method much too infrequently practised. It consists
of nothing more than notching or by other means rupturing the
shoot, bending it down and covering the fracture with earth. Cut-
tings of moderately firm wood taken in mid-summer or soon after-
wards according to locality root easily. In the Arboretum such cut-
tings are taken during the last days of June and the first of July.
The leafy shoots are cut each from 3 to 4 inches long, with a piece
of old wood, known technically as a heel, and are inserted in sand
in a closed frame where they enjoy the benefit of bottom heat. Under
such conditions they root in about a month. Afterwards they are
moved into flats and the following spring planted out in the nursery
grounds. From the start such plants are provided with their own
root-system which is always sufficient to nourish the foliage and in
three to four years they become nice bushy plants. Hardwood cut-
tings inserted in the ordinary sandpit of the propagating house in
winter will root but much more slowly, often taking six months. It
is admitted that Lilacs propagated from cuttings take longer to
develop into saleable plants but in four or five years they overtake
and soon outdistance those that have been budded or grafted on
Privet.
French Id lacs, so-called because most of them have been raised in
France, are the result of intercrossing and selection among the dif-
ferent forms of the Common Lilac. In size of inflorescence and of
individual flower they far excel the parent stock but only a few
retain the rich fragrance. The variety is very great and in the
Arboretum collection nearly two hundred sorts may be seen. One
of the most frequent inquiries is for a list of the best Lilacs. The
compilation of any such list must be largely a matter of individual
tastes, but the following twenty-five are entitled to high rank;
SINGLE VARIETIES; WHITE, Madame Florent Stepman, Prin-
cess Alexandria, Vestale, Mont Blanc; PALE, Lucie Baltet, Macro-
stachya; MEDIUM, Christophe Colomb, Madame Morel; DARK,
Congo, Marceau, Edmond Boissier, Monge, Reaumur, Turenne.
DOUBLE VARIETIES; WHITE, Edith Cavell, Madame Casimir
Perier, Princesse Clementine; PALE, Leon Gambetta; MEDIUM,
Due de Massa, Olivier de Serres, Rene Jarry-Desloges, Thunberg;
DARK, Paul Thirion, Violetta Georges Bellair.
The Lilac collection is easily reached from Forest Hills Gale or the
Centre Street Gate. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL II JUNE I. 1928 NO. 9
Conifers and Yews. In the northern parts of the world where
broad-leaf evergreens are few and the trees and shrubs are bare of
leaves for lialf the year, narrow-leaf evergreens are of special value.
In such parts of America they have been favorites since gardens
were first planted and they are assured of lasting popularity. In
lands where broad-leaf evergreens in great variety can be grown,
Conifers and Yews may be subject to the whim of fashion, but it is
quite different here when the real need is for greater variety of
strictly hardy sorts. Restful and beautiful at all seasons of the
year. Conifers and Yews are particularly so just now when their
young shoots are pushing off the winter bud-scales and unfolding a
mass of light green leaves. On many the male flowers in red-purple
or yellow catkins are very conspicuous and as these catkins ripen, if
a branch be shaken, pollen is liberated in clouds. The Spruces and
Firs push out their frond-like, young growth in advance of the up-
right tassels of the Pines. Earliest of all, and at the moment the
most beautiful, are the Hemlocks whose young branches with their
bright green leaves light up the dark mass of old foliage. As the
buds expand the effect is as if the trees had been peppered with
pale green; later a curtain of cheerful green is spread over the whole
tree. For many years past the Carolina Hemlock (Tsiiga cctroliniana)
has received favorable comment in these Bulletins. It is as hardy
as the Common Hemlock and if anyone doubts its superiority in
beauty they have but to visit the Pinetum and inspect the specimens
growing there. Its outline is broadly pyramidal and tapering with the
main branches outthrust at right angles and the branchlets drooping
and clustered to form tufted masses. The whole crown is an un-
dulating, billowy mass of dark green illuminated at this season of
the year by the young growth. No tree could be more lovely than
the Carolina Hemlock at the present time.
We are apt to think of Conifers in the autumn and winter seasons
only but their beauty at this moment is greater than at any other
time of the year. Conifers strongly object to smoke and deleterious
gases and for this reason are unsuited for planting in cities or in the
33
34
vicinity of factories. The majority are mountain plants and as such
demand pure air. A number of species of Pine grow in the poorest
of sandy soils and they, together with certain Junipers, withstand a
certain amount of drought, but, on the whole. Conifers demand a
constant supply of moisture at the roots. A good loam overlying
clay and a sloping hillside is the ideal place for them. What has
been written applies equally to the Yews, of which the Japanese
species (Taxus cuspidata) and its varieties are among the most val-
uable plants northern gardens possess. The Yews are more tolerant
of city conditions than are Conifers, so, if evergreens are needed in
cities. Yews only are worth planting.
Pseudolarix amabilis. Attention is called to the group of this
Conifer, the Chinese Golden Larch, immediately on the left entering
from the Walter Street Gate. Like the Larch it is deciduous in
character, its leaves changing to a rich golden yellow in the late
autumn. The branches are wdde-spreading, somewhat ascending and
richly clothed in summer with emerald green leaves which are borne
in whorls, each terminating a short, spur-like shoot. At the moment
many spur-like shoots are crowned with lax clusters of male flowers
arranged in erect catkins. Several of the lower branches are weij>hted
down with these curious flowers which emit clouds of yellow pollen
and are well-worth the inspection of students interested in botany.
On Bussey Hill, Albo-rosea with white flushed pink and Sekiyama
with rose-pink blossoms, latest of the Japanese Cherries to flower,
still make a brave display, their branches being thickly hung with
rose-like blooms. The Dogwood remains in blossom, the earliest of
the Brooms are pushing forth their gay-colored flowers, but the Torch
Azalea (Rhododendron ohtnsnm Kaetnpferi) now dominates the scene.
This floriferous shrubs with its dazzling blossoms is at the height
of its glory. It is perhaps the most spectacular of the whole race
of Azaleas and the marvel is that a plant of such exotic appearance
should be able to withstand the winters of Mas.sachu setts. It prefers
high land or at least a sloping bank and its flowers are seen to best
advantage against a dark background of Hemlocks or other Conifers
or under the shade of trees. It is a twiggy shrub, growing from 5
to 8 feet tall and as much in diameter, with the familiar character-
istics of the so-called Indian Azalea. It does best when grouped
thickly so that its branches shade the roots. On account of its color,
which varies from salmon and crushed strawberry to flaming red, it
needs careful placing for its full effect to be enjoyed. Although
known in books since 1712 and a common plant on mountains from
the extreme south to the northernmost island of Japan, it was ut-
terly neglected by the early plant explorers in that land. Not until
1892, when the late Professor Sargent sent seeds to the Arboretum,
was this Azalea introduced into cultivation. Had he done naught
else but introduce this plant garden lovers would have just cause to
bless his name. Of all the shrubs that Japan has contributed to the
gardens of North America none is more strikingly handsome than
this flaming Torch Azalea.
Winsome Azalea Vaseyi.
36
Azalea Vaseyi is a winsome plant and among the whole Azalea
tribe there is no purer or more pleasing bit of pink than the gaping
blossoms of this delightful shrub. The branches are slender and
upright and there is an airyness and grace about the plant not com-
mon among the Azaleas. It is of easy culture but prefers a moist
situation and if planted where its blossoms can be reflected in water
its beauty is seen to two-fold advantage. Native of the higher moun-
tains of western North Carolina, this Azalea was discovered in 1878
by George Vasey. It was introduced in 1880 into the Arboretum,
where it has never known winter injury, and each year, toward the
close of May, the groups of plants on the right and left of the
Meadow Road are aglow with pink blossoms.
Diervilla Maximowiczii is now flowering freely on Centre Street
Path and is very distinct from other species of Diervilla. A shrub
some 3 to 5 feet tall, it has slender, arching branches and thin,
bright green leaves. In color the flower is greenish yellow with a
prominent orange-brown stripe on the lower corolla-lobe and throat.
In other Diervillas the stamens are alternate with the corolla-lobes,
but in this species they are collected under the upper part of the
corolla and the anthers are united laterally. The flower is in ap-
pearance very much like that of a Pentstemon. Native of the mar-
gins of woodland and thickets from central Japan northward, D.
Maximowiczii was introduced into cultivation by the Arboretum
through seeds sent in 1914 from the Nikko region by Wilson. It is
a very distinct and pleasing shrub and has proved quite hardy.
Kerria japonica and its double-flowered form plenijiora are old-fash-
ioned plants which well deserve a place in gardens. They are twiggy
shrubs sending up each year from the base a mass of shoots which
remain bright green throughout the year. No other shrub, not even
the green-stemmed Dogwood, has such cheerful shoots in the winter
time. The flowers, borne along the whole length of the smooth,
slender, arching stems, are a deep buttercup yellow and the double-
flowered form strongly suggests a Rambler Rose. This plant does
well against walls, on banks or high land, where it can enjoy good
air and root drainage. Both forms are easily propagated from
suckers and suffer from no disease or pest. After flowering the
older canes should be cut clean away; no other pruning is necessary.
Kerria is native of China and southern Japan, where it is also a
favorite garden plant. The double-flowered form was introduced
into cultivation from Canton so long ago as 1805. Our grandparents
knew and appreciated it well and while it has been somewhat crowded
out in later times Kerria is still one of the most beautiful of late
spring-flowering shrubs. Visitors to rural parts of England may
see the double-flowered form frequently trained as a curtain against
the stone walls of thatched cottages. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JUNE 8. 1928 NO. 10
Early June is a season of plenteous blossom in the Arboretum.
The numerous forms of the Common Lilac are passing out of flower
but the Persian and Rouen Lilacs and a number of the species are
in full bloom. Early-flowering Roses in white, yellow and pink, to-
gether with Honeysuckles, Diervillas, Wistarias, Azaleas and the
early Rhododendrons, are in blossom. All the leaves are not yet fully
unfolded on tree and bush and there is still a rich range of color in
the young foliage. In any and every part of the Arboretum beauty
may be seen.
Enkianthus is an Oriental genus of shrubs belonging to the Rho-
dodendron family which is distributed from the eastern Himalayas
through the mountains of China to Japan but is not found in Korea.
The Himalayan and Chinese species have not proved hardy in the
Arboretum but the several species from Japan thrive on a windswept
slope beneath the group of old White Pines on Bussey Hill. The
first species to open its blossoms is E. perida^ns, better known under
the name of E. japonicus, a dense, rounded bush of perfect habit
which is grown in every Japanese garden. Its native home, the
mountains of the island of Shikoku, has only recently become known.
It has small clusters of pure white, urn-shaped flowers which push
out with or before the young foliage and are now past. The most
vigorous, floriferous and all-round valuable species of the genus is E. cam-
panulatiis. This is a large shrub or bushy tree, sometimes 25 feet
tall, irregular in outline with cymose clusters of suspended bell-
shaped flowers thrust from the tip of every branch. The corolla
varies in color from shades of salmon-pink to reddish crimson and is
often beautifully pencilled with lighter and deeper tones. It .also
varies a good deal in size and somewhat in shape and this together
with the variation in color has caused some botanists to recognize .a
number of different species. However, where a large group is cul-
tivated it is obvious that they merge one into the other. One variety
(alhifiorus) has handsome greenish white and another (Palibinu)
dark red flowers, but shades of salmon-color prevail and all are
37
38
equally lovely. Another species, E. subsessilis, is of dense, twiggy
habit, forming a neat compact bush up to 10 feet tall, bearing in
quantity creamy white flowers in pendent racemes. A rare plant is
E. cernmis which has cream-colored flowers and is not growing in
the Arboretum, where the more common variety {rubens) distin-
guished by the dark red color of its flowers, represents the species.
In this Enkianthus the corolla lobes are notched and in consequence
the flowers are different in appearance from those of other members
of the group. These Japanese species of Enldanthus are perfectly
hardy in Massachusetts and well worth a place in gardens. Where
lime is absent from the soil their cultivation is as simple as that of
Azaleas. They demand, however, good air and root drainage. The
foliage of no other shrub assumes more brilliant autumn tints, the
colors ranging from yellow and orange to the deepest tones of crim-
son. They are not subject to any disease or pest and rank among
the most satisfactory and beautiful members of the large Erica
family to which they belong.
Rhododendron japonicum. On Bussey Hill this handsome Azalea is
now at the height of its beauty. The large, funnel-form flowers are
borne in clusters at the end of every shoot and vary in color from
orange to salmon-red and flame color. It is a shrub, seldom exceed-
ing 6 feet in height, with stiff, erect branches and is especially well-
adapted for massing. It is widely distributed on the mountains of
Japan and has been in cultivation since 1861. Crossed with its
Chinese relative, R. tnolle, it has given rise to the so-called Mollis
Azaleas, but, unfortunately, the Chinese species is tender and this
weakness is evident in many of the hybrid race. Where the blood
of the Japanese species is predominant the plants are quite hardy;
contrariwise, where that of the Chinese plant is in the ascendancy
the plants are unsatisfactory, dying in part or wholly during severe
winters. Louisa Hunnewell, one form of these Hybrid Azaleas,
which was raised by T. H. Hatfield, Superintendent of the Hunnewell
Estate at Wellesley, Massachusetts, who hybridized plants raised
from seed collected in one case in Central China and in the other in
the Nikko region of Japan, has proved perfectly bud-hardy in the
Arboretum. This is a lovely plant with flaming orange-yellow flow-
ers borne in large clusters and, like those of its parents, sweetly
fragrant. This type of Azalea requires full exposure to the sun and
flourishes best where good root drainage is assured but it appreciates
protection from strong winds.
Viburnum tomentosum is one of the most handsome of all the
Oriental Viburnums, although less well-known in gardens than its
snowball form (sterile) to which the name V. plicatum is generally
applied. The type is a large shrub, sometimes 15 feet tall, with
stiff, wide-spreading branches arranged more or less in tiers. The
flat, flower-clusters, each from 3 to 5 inches across, terminate short
lateral branchlets and are produced along the entire length of the
shoots. They are borne erect on stout peduncles and each has a
conspicuous outer whorl of large, white, neuter flowers. It is to the
Bechtel’s Crab, Malus ioensia plena.
40
abundance of these neuter flowers that the shrub owes its orna-
mental character, for its autumn tints are poor and its fruit black
and unattractive. Strictly speaking it is a woodland plant and thrives
best in a cool, partially shaded position. Under full exposure to the
sun large branches are apt to die from no apparent reason. In the
familiar snowball form the central mass of small, fertile flowers is
changed into a globose group of showy neuter blossoms. Native of
the Far East, this Viburnum is a particular feature of the woodlands
and thickets of Japan whence it was introduced so long ago as 1865.
Malus ioensis plena, Bechtel’s Crab. Of all the Crabapples this
seems to hold first place in public affection and with its profusion of
large, pale pink, rose-like, semi-double flowers and its delightful odor
of violets, it is a singularly handsome and attractive tree. Unfor-
tunately, the practice is to graft it on understocks of the Common
Apple, a stock quite unsuited to its needs. This results in short-lived
trees, a disappointment only too well known to lovers of this fragrant
Crabapple. It should be grafted or budded on its wild parent (M.
ioensis) or on the related M. corcnaria, under which conditions it is
iiealthy, long-lived and free-growing. On the left, opposite the
junction of the Forest Hills and Meadow roads may be seen a Bech-
tel’s Crab' on the Common Apple understock — a sparsely branched,
unhealthy looking tree. In the Crabapple collection at the foot of
Peters Hill on the right entering from Bussey Street Gate grow two
specimens grafted on the wild parent and the contrast sufficiently
tells the story. The way to check the malpractice of grafting this
Crabapple on the wrong understock is to refuse to buy plants unless
guaranteed to be on understocks of an American species. It is only
by the amateur taking decisive steps that the necessary change can
be brought about.
Wistaria floribunda rosea. There are many so-called pink forms
of the Japanese Wistaria but the one strictly entitled to the name
may be seen blossoming at the end of the trellis bordering the Shrub
Garden. The parent of this particular plant was found many years
ago growing in a garden owned by a Japanese in California. It
came to the attention of the late Mr. Henry S. Huntington, San
Marino Ranch, San Gabiiel, California, who purchased the whole
place for the purpose of acquiring this handsome vine. The Arbo-
retum obtained scions from Mr. Huntington in 1917 and a resultant
plant is now flowering for the first time. The racemes are about a
foot long, the standard and wings of the corolla are flushed with pink
and the keel is pure pink. It is just as hardy as the ordinary laven-
der and white forms of the Japanese Wistaria. E. H. W.
The subscription to this Bulletin is SI. 00 per year.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
harvard university
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JUNE 15. 1928 NO. 11
Hybrid Rhododendrons are by common consent among the noblest
broad-leaf evergreens that can be grown in northern gardens. They
are largely the product of crossing and intercrossing the two Amer-
ican species, R. cataivbiense and R. maximum, with the Himalayan R.
aj'boreum, and the Eurasian R. ponticiim, and R. cauca sicum from the
Caucasus. They owe their red and crimson colors chiefly to the Hima-
layan and their hardiness to the blood of the American and Cau-
casian species. Most of the standard hardy sorts growing in the
Arboretum were raised in England, mainly by the firm of Anthony
Waterer & Sons, more than three-quarters of a century ago. Mr.
E. S. Rand, Jr., wrote his book on Rhododendrons in 1871 and those
who turn to its pages will note that with few exceptions the hardy
and reliable varieties we know today are mentioned there.
Since the Bulletins were first issued reference has been made each
year to these Rhododendrons. Their behavior in the Arboretum
has been set down together with the experiences of half a century
in cultivating these plants. It cannot be said that success has
crowned the persistent efforts of the Arboretum. Indeed, fewer
varieties are growing there today than a quarter of a century ago.
The site, under the lee of Hemlock Hill, facing more or less north
and to some extent protected from the sun in March, would appear
to be perfect but the Rhododendrons do not flourish as they should.
The toughest and hardiest varieties make a good showing each suc-
ceeding year but dead branches and brown leaves are too much in
evidence on many of them every spring. In England, where Rho-
dodendrons are special favorites, great progress in their culture has
been made during the past twenty-five years. It has been found that
wind is the curse of these plants and that greater success is at-
tained when they are planted through thin woods, especially Oak
woods, where the ground is moist and cool throughout the year and
where the branches of the trees break the direct rays of the sun.
Too much shade is detrimental to the setting of a crop of flower-buds
but not enough induces browning of the foliage. Also, it has been
found that the best way of mulching Rhododendrons is by laying
rather stout branches about the roots and sprinkling over them a
41
42
modicum of oak leaves. Under this treatment the known hardy
hybrids give better results; many formerly thought to be tender
prove quite hardy and hundreds of new species recently discovered
and introduced from western China grow happily. It is evident
that we have something to learn from the recent successes of Rho-
dodendron enthusiasts in the British Isles. In fact we might try
their experiments with every probability of success greater than we
now enjoy with these favored plants. Rand in his book enumerates,
with the exception of Mrs. Charles Sargent, Henrietta Sargent, Mrs.
Harry Ingersoll, Catawbiense album and Boule de Neige, all the
really hardy sorts of first-class quality grown in the Arboretum. All
of these are of foreign origin, indeed, so far as the Arboretum is
aware, no first-class variety of perfect hardiness in Massachusetts has
been raised in this country. This is little to the credit of our nur-
serymen. Prior to quarantine No. 37 going into effect the supply of
Rhododendrons for this country was annually imported from Europe.
When importation ceased stocks were speedily sold out. Today it
is exceedingly difficult to buy sizeable hybrid Rhododendrons of any
sort in America.
Anthony Waterer used to propagate his plants mainly by layering,
but nowadays R. ponticum, unfortunately tender in New England, is
largely used as an understock. No other understock has yet been
found equal to this Eurasian species, yet for us its use is unwise,
and, if none other is available, layering should be resorted to. With
the exception of a collection of indifferent quality which came from
Germany in 1908, the Arboretum has received no really hardy sorts
that have originated later than 1885. No one will assume that the
possibilities of raising new and worthwhile varieties have been ex-
hausted. It is simply that the subject has been neglected and it is
high time that it was taken up seriously in this country. Indeed, if
New England is ever to enjoy really hardy hybrid Rhododendrons in
variety they will have to be raised there. A splendid field for the
hybridist and for the younger generation of nurserymen is open. By
crossing and intercrossing the hardiest and toughest of the hybrids
we now enjoy with some of the known hardy species like R. Smirnoivii ,
R. Metternichii, R. Itrachijcarpum and R. carolinianum, there is
every probability of largely increasing the list of hardy hybrid Rho-
dodendrons well-suited to the climate of Massachusetts and south-
ward. Until some enterprise is shown in this direction Rhododendron
lovers will be left to deplore the paucity of good sorts available for
their gardens. Today, so far as the Arboretum’s experiences go,
the following rank among the best of the hybrid Rhododendrons:
with red flowers — Atrosanguineum, Charles Dickens, H. W. Sargent;
with reddish flowers — Caractacus; with rose-colored flowers — Roseum
elegans. Lady Armstrong; with pink flowers — Mrs. Charles Sargent,
Henrietta Sargent; with dark purple flowers — Purpureum grandi-
florum, Purpureum Elegans; with light purple flowers — Everesti-
anum; with white or nearly white flowers — Album Elegans, Album
Grandiflorum, Catawbiense Album. Earlier than these to blossom
are the so-called Caucasicum Hybrids of which Mont Blanc, Boule
de Neige, Coriaceum, Glennyanum and Cassiope, all with white or
Hybrid Caucasicum Rhododendron, Glennyanum
44
nearly white flowers. These and other varieties of less value are
now in blossom in the collection at the foot of Hemlock Hill, which
is easily reached from South Street Gate.
Sty rax obassia. A shapely specimen some 18 feet tall of this
Japanese tree is now in bloom on Bussey Hill. It has shortly stalked,
broadly ovate leaves, each* 4 to 7 inches long and as many broad,
dark green above and silvery gray below. The flowers are bell-
shaped, arranged in erect or sub-erect racemes 4 to 6 inches long. The
corolla is of the purest white, so too, are the filaments, but the
anthers are clear yellow. The flower racemes, although produced in
great quantity are somewhat hidden by the bold foliage.
Styrax japonica is a bushy tree of moderate size, seldom exceeding
30 feet in height and as much in diameter, which is common on the
mountains of Japan. It is also found in southern Korea and in cen-
tral China. It has leaves light green on both surfaces, more or less
ovate, lance-shaped and each from 2 to 3 inches in length. The bell-
shaped flowers are borne in cymose clusters at the ends of every
branchlet and the corolla is of pure, waxy white. No other tree is
more abundant of blossoms and viewed from below when in full
flower its myriads of pure white bells present a charming picture as
anyone who examines the large specimen on Centre Street Path will
agree. The tree fruits freely each autumn and thousands of seed-
lings spring up spontaneously beneath its shade. It has been grow-
ing in the Arboretum since 1892 and except in early youth has not
suffered winter injury. Like many other plants these Styrax are
apt to winterkill when young. Moreover, they do not transplant
readily from open ground, so it is best to grow them along in pots.
These two species of Styrax are among the most lovely of the lesser
trees that can be grown in the climate of Massachusetts and are well
worth a little extra trouble to establish. The genus is widely dis-
tributed, several species being native of eastern North America and
many in central and western China but the above only are properly
hardy in the Arboretum.
Syringa Wolfii. This handsome species, native of the woodlands of
central and northern Korea and adjacent Manchuria, is now in flower
above the Forsythia group. It has large oblong to ovate-lance-shaped
leaves, dark green above and pale on the underside, and much
branched panicles of dark lilac-purple flowers. The lateral branches
of the panicles droop somewhat and the individual flower is tubular,
dilated at the mouth with incuiwed, somewhat hooked, corolla lobes.
This plant was discovered by V. L. Komarov and by him introduced
into the Botanic Garden at St. Petersbourg sometime before 1910.
A plant was sent to the Arboretum but whether it was the true species
or not is uncertain for the plant has been lost. That now in flower
was raised from seeds collected in Korea by Wilson in 1917. Besides
the type there is a form distinguished by the presence of a
few hairs along the mid-rib on the underside of the leaf. S. Wolfii
is a handsome and very hardy shrub but is only one of numerous
species of Lilac that are wellworth a place in gardens. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
harvard university
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JUNE 25. 1928 NO. 12
The Shrub Garden, which occupies about three acres of land im-
mediately on the right, entering from Forest Hills Gate, is now full
of interest. Here may be seen a varied collection of shrubs arranged
in parallel beds, separated by grass paths, so that the individual
plants can be easily examined. Spring-flowering shrubs, many Bar-
berries and the earliest of the Spiraeas are past flowering, but
Spiraea Henryi, a dome-shaped bush more than 6 feet tall with arch-
ing branches laden with Hawthorn-scented flowers, is at the height
of its beauty. This native of central China is one of the best of its
clan. The Korean S. trichocarpa of perfect hardiness and graceful
habit has been very full of blossom but is now past its best. Closely
related to the Spiraeas is Physocarpus, of which several species are
now in bloom. These shrubs, which are commonly called Ninebarks,
are vigorous plants needing plenty of space to be seen to advantage.
One of the handsomest is P. hracteatus, native of Colorado, a rounded
bush 6 feet and more tall and broader than high, which produces in
great abundance dome-shaped clusters of Hawthorn-like blossoms in
which pink-anthered stamens are prominent. With the exception of
P. amurensis, which hails from northeastern Asia, the genus is en-
tirely North American. The shrubby, yellow Cinquefoil (Potentilla
fruticosa) is covered with pleasing blossoms and, so too, are its
white-flowered varieties, Veitchii and dahurica. All are very hardy
plants not particular as to soil and thrive in stony ground.
Among that useful group, the Bush Honeysuckles, several late-
flowering species such as graceful, gray-leaved, pink-blossomed Loni-
cera Korolkowii, white-flowered L. Maackii podocarpa, pale yellow
L. deflexicalyx and lilac-colored L. thibetica are in blossom, while the
early-flowering L. Altmarnii and L. fragrantissima are laden with
ripe, bright red fruits and L. coeridea and its varieties with dark blue
fruits. The Diervillas are shedding their blossoms but many of the
Philadelphus are opening their flowers as are different species of
Hydrangea. The mild winter was favorable to the Diervillas, which
this year have been marked by less dead wood and more blossoms
than usual. This group of shrubs like the Deutzias just miss being
45
46
properly hardy in the Arboretum. Summer-blooming shrubs, such
as the pink Indigofera Kirilowii and the yellow Cohitea arborescens
are opening their blossoms and soon will be followed by those of a
variety of kindred shrubs. The feature of the Shrub Garden just
now, however, is the different Wild Roses decked in white, pink, red
and yellow. Those interested in Rose species may spend a profitable
time in inspecting this collection and also the named varieties of
Rugosa Hybrids of recent origin and great value in northern gar-
dens. Of these Rugosa Hybrids the fragrant, dark red Roserie de
L’Hay, rose-pink Belle Poitevine, snow white Blanche Double de Cou-
bert, white Sir Thomas Lipton, bright red, fringed-petaled F. J.
Grootendorst, and Max Graf with pink flowers and lustrous foliage,
are most worthy. Among the species are R. Serafinii with gray
leaves and dainty white flowers, R. rubri folia with rose-colored blos-
soms, rose-red R. bella, white-blossomed R. Fedtschenkoana, fragrant
Sweetbriar (R. eglanteria) , R. rugosa rosea with pink and variety
alba with white flowers; such old-fashioned Roses as R. damascena,
R. centifolia, R. alba, the Apple Rose (R. villosa duplex), the Bour-
sault Rose (R. Lheritierana), many forms of the Scotch Roses and
that most satisfactory hardy yellow Rose, R. Harisonii, are in full
blossom. Such early species as R. Ecae, R. Hugonis and R. omeiensis
are past but R. niultifiora and its pink-flowered variety, cathayensis,
the Seashore Rose of New England (R. virgiuiana) and other species
will open their flowers in a few days and for two or three weeks
will continue the Wild Rose season.
Centre Street Path, which is entered through the Hickory group
immediately on the right of Centre Street Gate, makes a pleasant
walk at any season. The situation is more sheltered than other parts
of the Arboretum and in the borders flanking this path a number of
rare shrubs and trees of doubtful hardiness may be seen. Among
others the rare Pterost yrax hispida, a tree of moderate size, native
of the Orient and closely related to Halesia, or Silverbell tree, is
opening its blossoms. The flowers are produced in loose, hanging
clusters terminating lateral branchlets on the previous season’s
growth. The corolla and the filaments are pure white and the
anthers are of the palest cream-color. It is an interesting tree which
one wishes had a more vigorous constitution. The Japanese Styrax
japonica is still in blossom, so too, is the rare Viburnum bracteatum,
native of Georgia and Alabama, the Japanese Magnolia \Vatso7iii
with cup-shaped flowers emitting a heavy odor of spices, and the
Dogwood (Cornus kousa) of the same land is wreathed in white.
But the greatest display of blossoms along Centre Street Path is that
of the supplementary collection of Spiraeas and of the group of
Deutzias. A protected spot and cool soil suit the latter better than
any other place in the Arboretum and there may be seen many of
the finest hybrids of Lemoine and such handsome species as D. Vil-
nwrinae and D. Wilsonii, comparatively recent acquisitions from
western China. Among the Spiraeas, large specimens of S. tricho-
carpa, S. Henryi and the small-leaved, twiggy S. gemmata are par-
ticularly noteworthy.
A Handsome Native Shrub, Viburnum cassinoides.
48
Bussey Hill with its rare shrubs and lesser trees from the Orient
and elsewhere is a place to visit at all seasons of the year and, at the
moment, its western slopes are ablaze with brilliant blossoms of the
Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calendulaceum). Several species of
Cytisus, a number of new and rare Deutzias and Spiraeas are in full
blossom in the borders and, so too, is Rosa Moyesii from western
China. The wet and cloudy season has suited this Rose and its
flowers are of a better color than is usual. No Rose has been more
written about than this species and its rich, dark velvety blossoms
are among the most exquisitely colored of all Roses. The original
plant of the Beautybush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) , which has been grow-
ing on Bussey Hill for nearly twenty years, is again laden with its
pleasing pink Diervilla-iike blossoms. This lovely shrub is abso-
lutely hardy and should be widely grown in the colder parts of this
country. The spiny Sophora viciifolia has racemose, pea-like blos-
soms with a white corolla and a slaty blue calyx which make a
pleasing combination. Close by this shrub on Bussey Hill are two
forms of Indigofera amblyayitha whose branches are densely crowded
with erect, spike-like racemes of rose-colored blossoms.
Not before has the Ch'nese Dogwood (Cornus kousa chinensis)
borne blossoms so abundantly as this year. At this time it is easily
the most conspicuous plant in the Arboretum and worth a long jour-
ney to see.' The tree on Bussey Hill is vase-shaped, bushy and about
18 feet tall and every branch and branchlet is crowded with flowers.
At the moment the bracts are cream-colored but later they will be-
come pure white and finally pinkish. The four bracts which subtend
the button-like cluster of the flowers proper are arranged in the form
of a cross and overlap at the base. They are ovate, sharp-pointed
and larger than those of the American C. fiorkla. The Chinese Dog-
wood was raised from seeds sent to the Arboretum by Wilson in 1907
and has been acclaimed by experts as the most valuable of the lesser
trees China has contributed to the gardens of the Occident.
Viburnum cassinoides is one of the most common shrubs of New
England and a worthy member of a very ornamental tribe. Under
cultivation it grows from 6 to 10 feet tall, has erect, spreading stems
and forms a compact bush. Its short-petioled leaves are dark green,
somewhat leathery in texture, more or less oblong-lance-shaped and
each from 2 to 3 inches in length. The flowers, white with conspic-
uous, much protruded yellow-anthered stamens, are borne in flat-
tened, rounded clusters, each from 3 to 5 inches in diameter. These
are followed by fruit which, varying in color as it ripens from white
through pink to deep blue, is the crowning glory of this handsome
native shrub. E. H. W,
The subscription to this Bulletin is .$1.00 per year.
Back numbers available.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JULY 2, 1928 NO. 13
Silver Firs as ornamental trees rank among the handsomest of all
Conifers. Their lofty stature, symmetry of growth, density of branches
and abundance of foliage are arresting features. They are essen-
tially mountain trees which demand pure atmosphere and are therefore
quite unsuited for city conditions. A good loamy soil and a sloping
situation, where the drainage is good and yet where they never suffer
from drought, are the ideal conditions for growing these trees. They
are widespread on the mountains of the temperate regions of the
northern hemisphere, where they often form pure forests. In North
America they are found as far south as the mountains of Guatemala,
and in the Old World they reach northern Africa, the Himalayas and
the mountains of Formosa. Of the thirty-five species recognized,
twenty-three are growing in the Arboretum, but only a few of them
really thrive. It is much to be regretted that the climate of north-
eastern America is such that the magnificent species clothing the moun-
tains of the Pacific Slope cannot flourish.
Of the eleven species native of North America only the Colorado
White Fir (Abies concolnr) is really satisfactory in the Arboretum.
Fortunately, this handsome species ranks as one of the finest of the
family and if one Silver Fir only can be grown it should be this. Its
foliage is soft to the touch and varies from gray-green to glaucous
blue in color and is singularly handsome. The tree is very symmetrical
in outline, forming an even, pyramidal mass, and the very numerous
branches overlap one another in a manner neat and pleasing. The
trees in the Arboretum, planted in 1874, are now 60 feet tall and
among the most beautiful specimens in the pinetum. The variety,
Lowiana, distinguished by its much longer leaves, is, unfortunately,
not a satisfactory tree in the Arboretum. It is native of the Pacific
coast from Oregon to California, where ic is often 250 feet tall. Abies
homolepis, more generally known as A. hrachyphylla, the Nikko Fir,
is a tree sometimes 120 feet tall with wide-spreading branches, dark
green leaves, silvery on the underside, and one of the handsomest of
all Silver Firs. Its branches are long and sweep the ground, and the
tree is broader in outline than most Silver Firs. The leaves spread
49
50
outward and upward and are unequal in length and soft to the touch.
The grooved shoot is a ready means of distinguishing the species.
There is a variety wmbellata with green cones, many specimens of
which are growing in the Arboretum, all of them less compact in habit
than the type. The Greek Fir {Abies cephalonica) has dark green,
ascending and spreading leaves harsh to the touch. As a wild tree it
grows 100 feet tall and is somewhat variable in appearance. The
branches are smooth, shining red-brown, and its pungent leaves are
spread radially and slightly directed forward. The Cilician Fir {Abies
cilicica) with soft, dark green foliage is looser in habit than its rela-
tive, the Nordmann Fir, and its foliage is duller in appearance. The
branchlets are gray and covered with hairs and the leaves spread up-
wards and forward except on the weak shoots, where they are radi-
ally arranged. On the mountains of Syria and Asia Minor it is a tree
100 feet tall with smooth, ashy gray bark, which becomes scaly on old
trees. The Nordmann or Caucasian Fir {Abies Nordmanniana) with
lustrous, dark green foliage, silvery on the under side, is one of the
most beautiful of all Silver Firs. Fortunately, it does well in Massa-
chusetts and is hardy as far north as southern Ontario. In cultivation
it is dense in habit, its branches are not wide-spreading and it forms
a narrow, pyramidal tree easily recognized by its shining foliage. This
Silver Fir is found on the Caucasus, on the mountains of Asia Minor
and also in Greece. Abies Fargesii is one of the new species from
western China and bids fair to rank among the most useful of the
Silver Firs. It is easily recognized by its remarkable, shining, brown-
purple shoots, its dark green leaves, spreading and of unequal length,
and white on the underside. In China it is a tree 100 feet tall with
massive, tabuliform branches. Introduced by the Arboretum in 1910,
it has grown slowly but has not suffered winter injury. The rate of
growth is now more rapid and promises to equal that of other species.
Two other Chinese Silver Firs (A. recurvata and A. chiveiisis) have
also proved hardy and are growing well.
Hybrid Philadelphus Lemoinei and its various forms are now in full
blossom in the group facing the Lilac collection. While the varieties
differ in the size, shape and character of the flower, they agree gen-
erally in being twiggy shrubs of compact, rounded habit and remark-
ably floriferous, and the fragrance of their single or semi-double blos-
soms is delightful. Among the best of this particular group may be
mentioned Mont Blanc, Candelabre, Monteau d’hermine, Erectus, Houle
d’argent and Avalanche. This most pleasing group of Philadelphus
resulted from crossing P. microphyllus, which is native of Colorado,
New Mexico and Arizona, with the Eurasian P. corovanus and worthily
commemorates the hybridist to whom gardens owe so many beautiful
shrubs. P. Lemoinei has been crossed with other species and one result
of this is the handsome Albratre with double flowers.
Viburnum dilatatum is a first-class shrub of good habit, perfectly
hardy and abundantly floriferous. It covers itself in the fall with dark
scarlet fruit and is possessed of a whole catalogue of qualities not
excelled by any other species. Native of the Orient, it is found in
Double-flowered Philadelphus, Albatre
52
China, Korea and Japan, and is a bush sometimes 8 feet tall and more
in diameter, with stout, ascending, pubescent branches and hairy obo-
vate to oblong-obovate, coarsely toothed leaves. The very numerous
flowers are borne in broad, flattened clusters, each from 2 to 5 inches
in diameter. The flowers are all fertile, almost every blossom sets
fruit, and the result in autumn is a mass of scarlet berries. The indi-
vidual fruit is small and more or less oval, but so abundantly produced
as to weigh down the bush. There is a variety {xanthocarpum) with
pale yellow fruits, and remarkable as the only Viburnum outside the
Opulus group in which fruit of this color is found.
Elaeagnus angustifolia, the so-called Russian Olive, is a useful tree
especially for gardens near the sea. It grows some 20 to 25 feet tall
and has one or several trunks which are studded with burr-like growths
and clad with brown, flbrous bark which splits and shreds off. The
leaves are lance-shaped, silvery gray and the tree is conspicuous from
a distance. The flowers, produced several together from the axils of
the current season’s growth, are pale yellow, tubular, with reflexed
lobes. These are followed in due season by ovoid, yellowish fruits,
each about f inch long. The tree flowers freely but it is the silvery
gray foliage and rugged trunks that are most attractive. It is native
of southern Europe and western Asia and has been in cultivation since
the sixteenth century.
Cotoneaster salicifolia floccosa would appear to be the most satisfac-
tory of the evergreen Cotoneasters that can be grown in Massachu-
setts. In the Arboretum it is a bush some 4 feet tall with many slen-
der, ascending-spreading branches. The dark green, lance-shaped,
leathery leaves, each from to 2i inches in length, are wrinkled above
and covered on the under side with grayish white hairs. The flowers
are pure white, borne in flattened clusters, each about 2 inches across,
and when in blossom this shrub is as handsome as any Spiraea. The
fruits, small and bright red, ripen late and are long retained on the
bush. A native of western China, it was introduced by the Arbore-
tum in 1908. It is a matter of some surprise that this handsome spe-
cies should withstand the rigors of New England’s climate. On Rhode
Island and other places south it grows with greater freedom and rapid-
ity, and in C’alifornia it is now a favorite garden shrub.
Cornus kousa chinensis. Attention is again called to this magnifi-
cent plant, now at the height of its beauty on Bussey Hill. The bracts
are pure white and when seen from a distance completely hide the
foliage. Nearby the Chinese Dogwood some handsome plants of
Hj/drangea xanfhoneura and its varieties, Wilsonii and Hetchuenensia,
together with the closely related H. Rosthornii are in full bloom, each
shoot and branch terminating in a loose, broad, (lattened-round cluster
of white blossoms. These are hardy shrubs, native of western China,
introduced by the Arboretum in 1908. E. H. W.
The Arboretum is served by the new Gray Line Motor Bus Service.
Busses leave Park Square, corner of Boylston and Charles Streets,
every half hour.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JULY 9, 1928 NO. 14
Stewartia pseudocamellia is one of three species of these handsome
trees common in Japan. They all agree in having polished, cinnamon-
brown trunks and on this account are conspicuous among other trees
of the forests. They have white Camellia-like flowers, each from 2 to
3 inches in diameter and a prominent mass of yellow stamens. As they
flower in July, they have special value in gardens. Around Nikko and
other mountainous parts of Japan, S. 'pseudocamellia is a common tree
but it is scarce in gardens and difficult to purchase. When young the
branches are ascending, forming a vase-shaped crown, but with age
the tree becomes more or less round-topped. The leaves are oblong-
lanceolate to obovate in shape and from 2 to 3i inches long. The
flowers are borne singly in the axils of the current season’s growth.
The bud is globular and looks like a small snowball among the leaves
but as it expands its cupped. Camellia-like appearance is very notice-
able. In the autumn the leaves turn to a blackish purple and are dis-
tinct in color from those of any other tree in the Arboretum. The
two other Japanese species (S', monadelpha and S. serrata) are found
in the more southern districts. The first- named is characterized by
having its styles united into one column and is a feature of the forests
of Yakushima, where trees 80 feet tall and 12 feet in girth of trunk
occur. The polished stems of this tree stand out in marked contrast
to the rich dark green of Cryptomeria, Hemlock and Fir. Neither is
hardy in the Arboretum. S. sinensis is a comparatively new species,
native of central China but, unfortunately, not hardy in the Arboretum.
This is a bush or small tree with flowers similar to those of S', pseudo-
camellia and remarkable for its very large, hairy fruit. It does very
well in England and could be grown in parts of this country enjoying
a climate milder than that of Massachusetts.
Stewartia koreana is a new and rare species found on Chiri-san and
other mountains in south Korea. It is a smaller tree than S. pseudo-
camellia with broader, elliptic-ovate leaves and larger, flatter flowers.
It was raised in the Arboretum from seeds collected by Wilson in 1917
and blossomed for the first time last year. It is perfectly hardy and
promises to be a valuable flowering tree.
53
54
Stewartia pentagyna is an American species found from North Car-
olina to Florida. It is a shrub or tree-like bush with ovate to oblong-
ovate leaves, each from 2 to 5 inches in length. The flowers are cup-
shaped, 3 to ih inches across with concave petals and orange-colored
anthers. More beautiful is its variety (grandiflora), which has purple
stamens. The bright green leaves change in the autumn to orange and
crimson. A second American species {S. malacodendron), also known as
iS. virginica, is, unfortunately, not hardy in the Arboretum. This
species differs from S. pentagyna by having the styles united and by
its smaller, differently shaped leaves. The species of Stewartia hardy
in the Arboretum may be seen on Bussey Hill.
Ehretia thyrsiflora is the only tree of the Borage family that is
hardy in the Arboretum. It is native of southern Japan and eastern
China and is a very interesting addition to the list of hardy trees.
The specimens growing here were raised from seeds sent by Wilson in
1907 and may be seen on Bussey Hill and along the Centre Street Path.
They are about 12 to 15 feet tall with spreading branches, polished,
yellowish green shoots and petioles, and handsome, dark green, oblong-
obovate leaves, each from 3 to 5 inches long and sharply serrated along
the margins. The flowers superficially resemble those of the Privet
(Ligustrum) and are borne in thyrsoid panicles, each from 4 to 6 inches
long, at the end of the current season’s shoots. In a wild state the
panicled masses of flowers are often a foot in length. The flowers are
small, white and give off an unpleasant odor. The fruit is small, shot-
like and has no ornamental value. In China and Japan this is a tree
75 feet tall with gray, fissured, fibrous bark. It suckers somewhat
and may be propagated by this means and also by root-cuttings.
Catalpa speciosa is now in blossom. This is a magnificent flowering
tree native of the Mississippi Valley, where it is often more than 100
feet tall with a trunk 12 feet in girth. It has broad, heart-shaped,
long-pointed leaves and terminal clusters of large blossoms. The
Pentstemon-like corolla has fringed lobes and is more or less striped
and dotted with brown-purple on the lower half and marked within the
tube with yellow. For park and large garden this is an excellent tree
but it has no place in the suburban lot and much less should it be used
as a street tree, its disadvantages being that the leaves unfold late
and fall early without any change of color, and for much of the year
the tree is gaunt in appearance. This is the handsomest of a group
of summer flowering trees, of which five species are growing in the
Arboretum.
Magnolia virginiana, better known as M. glauca, the Sweetbay, is
now in full bloom on the right just within the Jamaica Plain Gate.
This is one of the most delightful of native trees with pure white,
cupped blossoms, which emit a delightful odor and fill the air around
with pleasant fragrance. It reaches its northern limits around the town
of Magnolia in Massachusetts, where it is a deciduous shrub 10 to 12
feet tall. It extends near the coast southward to Florida and to Texas,
where it is often a tree 60 and more feet tall and retains its leaves
throughout the winter. It has been in cultivation for more than a
Late flowering and handsome Spiraea Veitchii
56
century but it is even now much too rarely seen in our gardens. The
shoots are smooth, bright green and if bruised emit a spicy odor. The
leaves are more or less elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, each from 3 to 5
inches in length, dark lustrous green on the upper surface, glaucous
and clothed with soft, appressed silky hairs on the under side. The
individual flowers are each from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, pure white
and borne erect at the ends of the shoots. Often a second crop appears
in late August and September. The fruit is small and ellipsoid and
when ripe opens and exposes seeds clad in red jackets. Its flowers
and foliage in summer, its fruit in autumn and cheerful apple-green
shoots in winter, make this Magnolia ornamental the year round. It
is readily raised from seeds and while not especially particular as to
situation does best in a moist soil rich in vegetable humus.
Spiraea Veitchii is the last of its group to open its blossoms, and is
the tallest and one of the handsomest of Spiraeas. It is a shapely,
round-topped bush from 8 to 12 feet tall, with ascending-spreading
stems. The individual flowers are small, but are crowded together in
broad, rounded clusters, each from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, which
terminate short, lateral shoots and often form arching sprays, each from
2 to 4 feet in length. The light green leaves vary from elliptic to
elliptic-lanceolate and are smooth and quite entire. Native of the
higher mountains of central China and introduced into cultivation by
seeds collected by Wilson in 1901, it is perfectly hardy, and its late
flowering qualities give it additional value. The odor of its flowers is
reminiscent of Hawthorn blossoms. Fine plants may be seen in the
Shrub Garden, on Bussey Hill and on Centre Street Path.
Rhododendron arborescens. Here and there about the Arboretum
bushes of the Flame Azalea (Rhododendron calend ulaceuw) are still in
bloom, but the species that is now beginning to make display is R.
arborescens. This is another southern Appalachian Azalea found chiefly
on the banks of mountain streams, ascending to an altitude of 5200
feet on the mountains of North Carolina. It is a plant of compact
growth, forming a dense bush from 5 to 10 feet tall and about as much in
diameter. The more or less oblong-lanceolate leaves, each from 2 to 4
inches in length, are dark, somewhat glossy green on the upper surface
and glaucous beneath. The flower clusters, each of three to a dozen
or more fragrant flowers, nestle among the leaves and terminate every
shoot. The corolla, often pinkish in the bud, has a long, slender tube
and flve wide-spreading slightly reflexed lobes, pure white, often with
a yellow blotch on the face of the upper corolla lobe. The long out-
thrust stamens and pistil are crimson-pink and a pleasing feature. This
is a very hardy species, valuable on account of its fragrance and of
its late flowering qualities. On the western slopes of Bussey Hill there
is a large planting and here and there by the roadside throughout the
Arboretum isolated bushes of this Azalea at the moment make their
presence known by their fragrance. E. H. W.
A sketch map of the Arnold Arboretum free on application.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JULY 17, 1928 NO. 15
Rhododendron maximum, the Great Laurel or Rose Bay, is the last
of the true Rhododendrons to blossom in the Arboretum. This plant
is found wild from Nova Scotia and the northern shores of Lake Erie,
southward through New England and New York and along the Appa-
lachian Mountains to northern Georgia, and is especially abundant on
the mountains of western Pennsylvania and southward, covering the
steep banks of streams to the elevation of 3000 feet. It grows to its
largest size on the mountains of Tennessee and the Carolinas, there
forming thickets hundreds of acres in extent and often impenetrable.
It is a bushy, tree-like shrub, sometimes more than 30 feet tall, with
stout stems and contorted branches, forming a rounded head. The
short- petioled, more or less oblanceolate-oblong leaves are lustrous
green on the upper surface, pale or grayish, sometimes rusty, on the
lower surface, and each from 5 to 10 inches in length. The flowers
are relatively small but are borne many together in a compact, pyram-
idate truss which is often much hidden among the leaves. They are
pinkish in the bud and in the typical species the expanded corolla is
more or less stained with pink. There is a variety {album) with pure
white flowers. The honeyguide on the upper corolla lobe is greenish
yellow, the stamens are markedly unequal in length and the anthers
are often tinged with purple. The pedicels and peduncles are very gland-
ular, a character which it has transmitted to its hybrid progeny. As
a matter of fact, many of the so-called Catawbiense Hybrids are really
hybrids of R. maximum and these may be distinguished by this gland-
ular character. On account of the intense hardiness, handsome, ever-
green foliage and late-flowering qualities, this Rhododendron is for
northern gardens a very valuable plant. It is seen to best advantage
when planted in open mixed woods, especially those clothing sloping,
rocky ground.
Rhododendron maximum purpureum is more showy than the type.
It came to the Arboretum in 1912 from the Cross Highways Nursery,
Westport, Connecticut, under the name of R. maximum superhum.
This variety has bright, rose-pink blossoms and brownish yellow honey-
guides. The outside of the corolla is deep rose-color but within it is
57
68
flushed with white. The botanist, Frederick Pursh, first recognized
this variety in 1814, giving its specific rank, stating that “It is found
on the highest mountains of Virginia and Carolina near lakes.” It is
strange that a late flowering Rhododendron of so good a color should
remain so rare in gardens.
Buddleia alternifolia has the distinction of being the only species of
this very large genus that has leaves alternately arranged on the shoots.
The leaves are narrow, oblong-lance-shaped, very short-stalked, dull
green above and gray on the underside. The flowers are lavender-
purple with a reddish crimson eye and are borne many together in com-
pact rounded clusters from the axils of the leaves of the previous year’s
shoot, and, later in the year, in those of the current season. The
flower clusters are freely produced and often shoots 3 to 4 feet in
length are knotted, as it were, with bunches of blossoms. Native of
northwestern China, it was introduced into cultivation through seeds
collected in southeastern Kansu by Messrs. Farrer and Purdom in 1914.
The plants in the Arboretum were raised in 1923 from seeds received
partly from the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at Wisley and
from the Edinburg Botanic Gardens. It is the hardiest member of the
family and by blooming at high summer and continuing into the fall it
is a valuable mid-season plant. Like its relative, B. Davidii, it is easily
propagated from cuttings of half ripe wood. When properly known it is
destined to be a favorite garden shrub. A handsome bush may be seen
in full blossom on Bussey Hill.
Schizophragma hydrangeoides. This uncouth name has been known
to nurserymen and gardeners for at least three quarters of a century
but the plant to which the name actually belongs is still scarcely known
outside a few botanic gardens. Under this name, two root-climbing
Japanese plants were confused in gardens. For a long time the name
was used for the plant which we now know as Hydrangea petiolaris.
Indeed, it was not until early in the twentieth century, when the true
Schizophragma hydrangeoides blossomed for the first time under culti-
vation, that the confusion existing began to be straightened out.
Although in a general way similar, the two plants are really very dis-
tinct and when seen growing side by side even in leaf, much more in
flower, the distinctions are obvious. In the Hydrangea the leaves are
relatively thin, bright green with finely serrated margins; the flower
cluster on its outer circumference bears 4-partite conspicuous blossoms;
the fruit opens at the top and the seed is minute and not winged. In
the Schizophragma the leaves are relatively thick, dull green, pale on
the under surface and coarsely toothed; the flower cluster is furnished
with numerous white, ovate bracts, the fruit opens down the sides
and the seeds are winged. The Hydrangea is the earlier to open its
blossoms. Both are valuable root-climbing plants but the Schizophragma
is the more beautiful of the two. Its flowers open later and the num-
erous white bracts retain their color for a long period, changing
finally to pink and brown. This Schizophragma is not so common a
plant as the Climbing Hydrangea, neither does it grow so vigorously,
nor is it quite so hardy. However, on the northerly wall of the Admin-
istration Building a magnificent plant may now be seen in full flower.
Schizophragma hydrangeoides
60
In China there is a species {S. irdegrifolium) with larger flower trusses
but, unfortunately, this has not proved hardy in the Arboretum. It
does well in France, notably around Paris, and in certain parts of the
British Isles.
Elaeagnus longipes on the bank at the upper end of the Lilac Collec-
tion is now beautifully in fruit. This is a broad shrub with spreading
branches laden with ovoid, cherry-like fruits, each suspended on a long,
slender stalk. They are orange to bright red in color and close inspec-
tion shows them to be covered with wart-like dots. The leaves are
short-stalked, more or less elliptic-ovate, with a blunt point and silvery
on the under surface. This is the earliest to fruit of a useful group
of shrubs, chiefly oriental, of which some half dozen species are grow-
ing in the Arboretum.
Cornus dubia is a supposed hybrid raised in the Arboretum from
seeds of C. paucinervis. It is a densely branched shrub of good habit
some 5 feet tall and more in diameter, clothed with dark to lustrous
green, lanceolate leaves with the veins strongly impressed on the upper
surface and prominent on the lower. It bears flat clusters each from
2 to 3 inches in diameter, of small white blossoms with prominent sta-
mens. The flowers are sweetly fragrant and are followed by deep blue,
changing to black, fruits. This and its presumed parents, C. pauci-
nervis and C. amom'im, are the last of the Cornels to blossom. The
first to bloom is, of course, the Cornelian Cherry (C. mas), which opens
its blossoms early in April, and from then on the whole group has a
flowering period covering three and a half months. In flower and fruit
the Dogwoods form one of the most useful groups of shrubs or lesser
trees that the gardens of northeastern North America enjoy.
Leptodermus oblonga is again flowering on Centre Street Path. A
low, twiggy plant, almost a subshrub, it is never more than 2 feet
high, and has small, dark green, oblong leaves and bears a profusion
of blossoms clustered at the end of branch and branchlet. The flowers
are of a pleasing wine-purple color, tubular, with five spreading lobes.
It is an exceedingly floriferous plant, which is well adapted for grow-
ing in rockeries. It is native of northern China, from whence it was
introduced by the Arnold Arboretum through seeds collected by Mr. J.
G. Jack in 1905. This subshrub with the Buttonbush (Cephalanthus
occidentalis) and the Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens) are the only
members of the great family of Rubiaceae which are hardy in the
Arboretum.
Berberis aggregate. Among the wealth of Barberries that are hardy
in Massachusetts this and its relatives form an interesting group, for
they flower after midsummer. They all agree in having rich green,
more or less blunt, oblong-lanceolate leaves and terminal masses of
deep yellow flowers, which are followed by clusters of small, round,
salmon-red fruits. In B. aggregata the flower cluster is dense, in the
variety (Prattii) it is looser and more paniculate. In B. polyantha ,
which is the handsomest of the group, the flowers are in loose, more
or less spreading or hanging, panicled clusters. E. H. W.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II JULY 28, 1928 NO. 16
The wet season has been favorable to tree and bush and the foliage
was never richer in appearance than at the moment. Weeds are hard
to control but the lush growth on tree and shrub and vine is good to
behold. The Arboretum’s flowering season is nearing its close. Some
of the mid-season trees are at the height of their beauty and the late-
flowering Spiraeas and Sorbarias are in blossom. So, too, is the fragrant
Azalea viscosa, last of its tribe to flower. The earliest of the Pepper-
bushes {Clethra harhinervis) is in bloom on the Overlook, and in the
Shrub Garden the Hypericums are opening their handsome yellow blos-
soms. There are flowers on a variety of other shrubs, but the display
for the year is over. On the Honeysuckles blue-black, red or yellow
berries according to variety may be seen and some of the Dogwoods
are also ripening their fruits.
Maackia amurensis is flowering very abundantly this season. In the
Arboretum the best tree is about 30 feet high with a trunk 1 foot in
diameter, but in a wild state it is often 60 feet tall. It has dark
green, pinnate leaves which fall in the autumn without much change
of color. The flowers are borne in erect, cylindric racemes, which,
branching at the base, form candelabra-like masses. The individual
flowers are cream colored, pea-shaped with a much swollen calyx; the
standard is strongly recurved and greenish, while the keel opens to
display orange red anthers. The fruit is a dry, thin pod and possesses
no ornamental qualities. Unusually handsome this year is the variety
Buergeri, which differs in having the leaflets hairy on the underside.
Specimen trees of these and of the Chinese species may be seen in
blossom on the right of Bussey Hill Road, facing the Lilacs.
Maackia chinensis is a comparatively new species native of central
China from whence it was introduced into cultivation by seeds collected
by Wilson in 1907. In size, habit of growth and general appearance it
closely resembles the better-known M. amurensis, but it has narrower
and more numerous leaflets and a larger, more branched paniculate
head of flowers. The individual flower is also whiter and more conspic-
uous. The only other species growing in the Arboretum is M. Fauriei,
61
62
which is native of southern Korea. Maackia is an oriental genus, con-
sisting of six known species which occur in Japan, Korea, Liukiu
Islands and China, and is closely related to Cladrastis of which the
Yellow-wood (C. tinctoria) is the best known member. In Maackia the
buds are prominent in axils of each leaf, whereas in Cladrastis the bud
is hidden within the sheathing base of the petiole. There are other
differences but this is a rough and ready means of distinguishing the
two genera. The different species are strikingly handsome when the
leaves begin to unfold on account of the dense, silvery gray pubescence
clothing them. The bark is smooth and the heart-wood of the tree is
ebony-like and in the Orient is used for making small ornaments.
Sophora japonica was one of the first trees of the Orient to be in-
troduced into cultivation, having been sent to France so long ago as
1747. It is much cultivated in the Far East, being usually associated
with Buddhist temples and other religious sanctuaries, but its real home
is northern China. It is well known in gardens and valuable on account
of its late-flowering qualities. Moreover, it seems to withstand city
conditions better than the average tree as specimens in the Public
Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, well demonstrate. The leaves are pin-
nate, dark green above, gray on the underside, and the bark is deeply
fissured and corrugated. Old trees have much the appearance of the
White Ash. The flowers, which appear in early August, are cream-
colored and borne in large, erect, much-branched panicles at the end of
every shoot and are followed by slender, jointed pods which, if crushed,
are soapy to the touch. In the Orient trees 80 feet tall, with a trunk
12 feet in girth and an abundance of gnarled, wide-spreading roots are
frequently to be seen. There are several horticultural varieties, the
most distinct being that with pendent, crowded branches {pendula).
Grafted high as a standard this makes a picturesque tree.
Koelreuteria paniculata is one of the handsomest flowering trees
hardy in New England and, except the Laburnum, the only tree with
yellow blossoms that can be grown in the Arboretum. It is a flat-
topped tree, seldom 40 feet high but with a crown more than this in
diameter, and dark green, pinnate leaves with incised leaflets. The
flowers are borne in enormous compound, paniculate masses at the end
of every shoot. They are similar in shape to those of the Horsechest-
nut, but are clear yellow in color with prominent orange-red markings
at the base of the petals. The fruit is top-shaped and bladder-like; at
first white it ultimately changes to pink and brown. Native of north-
ern China, this tree was brought into cultivation more than a century
and a half ago but is by no means as widely grown as its merits de-
serve. Like Sophora japonica it thrives in town gardens and parks
better than a majority of trees and on this account is doubly valuable.
It is easily raised from seed and there is no reason why it should not
be readily obtainable. The trees on the right of Meadow Road are
now laden with conspicuous, rich yellow blossoms.
Oxydendrum arboreum, the Sorrel-tree or Sourwood, is one of the few
tree members of the great family to which belong the Rhododendrons,
Kalmias, Ericas, Vacciniums and other familiar plants. Native of the
The Umbrella Pine {Sciadopitys verticiUata)
64
southeastern United States, it is a tree from 30 to 50 feet tall with a
straight trunk clothed with dark gray, furrowed bark. The pointed
leaves are oblong-lance-shaped, finely serrated along the margins, bright
green on both surfaces and have a pleasant acidulous taste, from which
character the tree derives its generic name. The urn-shaped flowers,
borne in loose, spreading panicles at the end of every shoot, commence
to open towards the end of July. As the corollas wither, dry, white
fruits simulating the flowers in appearance speedily form and remain
attractive late into the fall. Among native trees none assume more
brilliant autumn tints of orange and crimson, and from the time the
flower buds appear in mid-July until the leaves fall in late October
the Sourwood is decidedly ornamental. A group of these trees just
bursting into blossom may be seen among the Kalmias, bordering
Hemlock Hill Road.
Sciadopitys verticillata, the Japanese Umbrella Pine, is among the
most notable Conifers that can be grown in the climate of Massachu-
setts. It is of dense, pyramidal habit with ascending-spreading
branches. The leaves are borne in clusters around the stem, one tier
above another, suggesting a parasol, hence its common name. They
unfold bright green but soon change to black-green and remain so
throughoiLt the winter. The strap-shaped leaves, each from 3 to 4
inches long, are thick and leathery in texture with a white line on the
under side. It likes a cool situation and good soil and would appear to
thrive better in New England than in the British Isles. There are
several fine specimens in the Juniper Dell but larger ones may be seen
here and there in Massachusetts, notably in Newburyport. By the old
regime in Japan, this was one of the seven famous trees, the illegiti-
mate felling of which was a capital offence. The wood is white, fra-
grant, very durable in water, and is much used in Japan for making
bathtubs and small boats. Like certain other trees it does not grow
old gracefully, and in the adult tree with its narrow, often spear-
shaped, crown it is hard to recognize the stately ornamental plant we
know in gardens. \ monotype, it is confined mainly to the mountains
of central Japan, being very abundant on Koyasan, a mountain not
far distant from the ancient capital of Kara. The Umbrella Pine is
easily raised from seeds but grows slowly. No other form of propa-
gation is known, but on account of its great hardiness and distinct
appearance nurserymen ought to raise it in quantity. It was one of
the plants introduced into America by Dr. G. R, Hall in 1862.
Sphaeralcea remota is a relative of the Hollyhock and Hibiscus and
a very rare American plant, being known only from Altorf Island in
the Kankakee River, Illinois. It is suffruticose in habit and the stems
die down to the ground each year. The leaves are similar to those of
a Hollyhock in shape but thinner in texture with more pointed lobes.
The flowers are short-stalked and freely produced from the axils of
every leaf. They are lavender-pink in color, somewhat saucer-shaped,
with four or five petals. This plant is now in blossom on Centre
Street Path and on account of its mid-season flowering qualities has a
decided use in gardens. E. H. W.
These Bulletins will now be discontinued until October.
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II OCTOBER 15. 1928 NO. 17
Now is a good time to visit the Arboretum; the foliage on tree and
bush and vine is assuming brilliant autumn tints and fruits of all
colors hang from the branches. The Viburnums, Spindle-trees and
Crabapples in particular, are laden with a wealth of brightly colored
fruits. Everywhere at this season of the year tinted autumn foliage
is the feature of the landscape but in the Arboretum, where every
northern land has been laid under contribution, the range of color is
greater than that of America’s woodlands.
The Viburnum tribe is widely distributed throughout the northern
hemisphere. More than 120 species are recognized, of which 15 are
native of eastern North America. As a group Viburnums are of great
horticultural value, some of the members ranking among the most
useful of garden shrubs. A great many are ornamental not only in
flower but also in fruit which varies in color from yellow through
varying shades of red and crimson to rich blue and black. No species
native of this country other than V. trilobum, better known as V.
americanum, and V. pauciflorum, which belong to the Opulus section,
has red fruit. Indeed, all the red-fruited species outside of the Opulus
group are native of the Orient. Two or three valuable species are
confined to Japan and Korea but central and western China, since the
dawn of this century, has given us a dozen Viburnums with red-col-
ored fruits. These have peculiar interest to all who value shrubs for
their brightly colored autumn fruits and, moreover, almost without
exception they have handsome autumn tinted foliage. Altogether this
group deserves far greater attention from nurserymen, landscape
architects and garden lovers than at present it enjoys.
Viburnum theiferum is not only a very distinct shrub but in fruit it
is probably the handsomest of all the Chinese species. It is a plant of
tall growth with stout, erect stems and horizontally disposed branches.
The leaves are rather thick and fleshy, smooth on both surfaces, ovate-
lanceolate to oblong-ovate, shortly stalked and slightly hanging. The
fruit is ovoid, remarkably large, and is produced in quantities in hang-
ing, flattened clusters. In the typical form the fruit is scarlet, in an-
65
66
other it is orange-red, a color unique in the whole family. On Mt.
Omei, a sacred mountain in western China, the Buddhist monks collect
the leaves and make an infusion known as Sweet Tea which they sell to
pilgrims at much profit. The plant owes its specific name to this use
but in garden's it will be valued for its brilliantly colored fruits pro-
duced in royal profusion and lasting from mid-September until the end
of October. A fine specimen may be seen on Bussey Hill.
Viburnum lobophyllum is a bush some 6 to 8 feet tall with stout,
ascending stems and broad ovate to roundish, pointed leaves, almost,
if not quite, glabrous at maturity, coarsely toothed along the margin
and with veins deeply impressed. The ripe fruit is bright scarlet,
borne many together in flattened round, 3 to 4 inch broad clusters. The
young shoots are clothed with a waxy bloom and the winter buds are
hairy and stout. The fruit is larger than that of any other globose-
fruited Viburnum and hang in clusters which weigh down the
branches. Although the leaves fall with little or no change in color
the plant throughout the latter half of September until mid-October is
a striking object. It is a native of central China from whence it was
introduced by Wilson in 1907 through seeds sent to the Arboretum.
Very similar is V. hetulifolium, also from central China, which, how-
ever, has smaller leaves and fruits and glabrous winter buds. A third
related species is V. hupehense, a rounded shrub with ascending-
spreading stems 5 to 8 feet tall. The oblong-ovate to ovate or obovate
leaves are hairy on both surfaces and in the autumn assume a dull
blackish purple color. The fruit is globose, about the size of a small
pea, vivid scarlet, borne abundantly in short-stalked, flattened clus-
ters each from 2 to 3 inches in diameter. A Japanese species also
found in Korea is V. erosum, a twiggy bush of compact habit which
seldom exceeds 5 feet in height. The leaves, ovate-lanceolate and
shortly stalked, are rough to the touch and the fruit is small, globose
and bright red. Neither this nor the closely related V. ichangense is
of particular garden merit.
Viburnum Wrightii. Since quite early in September this has
been one of the most strikingly beautiful fruiting shrubs in the Arbor-
etum and will remain so until severe frosts set in. It is a native of
Japan and although introduced into cultivation more than a quarter of
a century ago is rarely seen in gardens. Its moderately stout stems
are ascending and spreading forming a loose, roundish bush some 5 feet
tall and from 6 to 8 feet through. The leaves are shortly stalked,
broadly ovate, often roundish, and assume dark wine-purple tints before
they fall. The fruit is globose, lustrous scarlet, densely crowded in
short-stalked flattened corymbs each from 3 to 5 inches in diameter. So
heavy is the fruit and so abundantly produced that it weighs the
branches down to the ground. This Japanese species is also remark-
able for the length of time it retains its fruit and foliage in good
condition.
Viburnum dilatatum is a sturdy shrub with ascending-spreading
branches forming a compact, more or less flat-topped bush from 6 to 9
feet tall and more in width. The branchlets are stout and each and
I
li
!
(j
a
Most beautiful in fruit, Malus toringoides.
68
every one terminates in a 4 to 5 inch broad, flattened cluster of ovoid
brilliant red fruits, lustrous and sparkling in the sunshine. The fruits
are small, abundantly produced and crown the whole bush in vivid color.
The leaves are hairy, coarsely toothed more or less ovate, and assume
vinous purple tints before they fall in late October; on some bushes
the foliage is a rich bronze. There is a variety {xanthocarpum) with
fruits exactly the color of old ivory and, if not so striking a subject
as the type, is interesting as being the only yellow-fruited variety of
Viburnum known outside the Opulus group. This and the others men-
tioned may be seen in fruit in the Viburnum collection just on the left
entering from Centre Street Gate, almost facing the junction of
Bussey Hill and Valley roads.
Malus toringoides. All the Crabapples are ornamental; some of them
are especially valued for their flowers, some for their fruit and some
for both qualities. For fruit alone Malus toringoides is probably the
handsomest of the whole tribe, even as it is one of the most distinct.
The fruits are waxen in appearance, rosy red for the most part but
yellowish on the side away from the light. They are pear-shaped, each
about five-eighths of an inch long and half an inch broad and produced in
nearly sessile clusters, each fruit pendent on a slender stalk. It is a tree
possessed of much character, being Thorn-like in habit with intricately
placed branches which when laden with fruit hang downward, the whole
forming a broad, irregular, more or less ovoid mass. The leaves are
sharp-pointed, deeply incised and not at all unlike those of the Euro-
pean Hawthorn. The flowers are pure white and less attractive than
those of many other species but from mid-September until late October
when laden with myriad fruits no other Crabapple is more attractive.
It is a native of the Chino-Thibetan borderland from whence it was in-
troduced by seeds collected by Wilson in 1904. Some admirers have
dubbed it Wilson’s Crabapple and the discoverer is well pleased with
the compliment. In a wild state this is a small tree of irregular habit,
seldom exceeding 15 feet in height and breadth, but under cultivation
it promises to exceed these dimensions. A fine specimen may be seen
on Bussey Hill and another in the Crabapple collection at the foot of
Peters Hill. To th ise fond of a beautiful fruiting tree the sight of
either one of these plants is well worth a journey to the Arboretum.
It is a good species and unlike most of the family comes true from
seed.
Berberis amurensis. The Barberries in general are bearing little
fruit this season, due probably to heavy rains when they were in blos-
som. The Amur Barberry, however, is as full as ever. Indeed, this
most handsome species appears to be a never failing cropper. Related
, to the common Barberry (B. vulgaris), this plant is abundant in the
colder parts of northeastern Asia, and it is represented in Japan by
its variety japonica, often called B. Regeliana, which differs chiefly in
its broader, more densely serrulate leaves and smaller flower clusters.
The Amur Barberry is an upstanding bush 8 to 12 feet tall and more
in diameter, dome-shaped and dense. The fruits are racemose, ellip-
soid, bright red covered with a slight glaucous bloom. It is one of the
hardiest and handsomest of the whole Barberry clan, E. H. W,
ARNOLD ARBORETUM
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
BULLETIN
OF
POPULAR INFORMATION
SERIES 3. VOL. II NOVEMBER 15, 1928 NO. 18
Pinus is the largest genus of coniferous trees and the one with
which people of the northern hemisphere are most familiar. The
long, slender, needle-like, gray or dark green leaves arranged in
bundles of two or more, according to species, and the woody, usually
long persistent cones are characters which distinguish them from all
other trees. Their appearance is so distinct that the least observant
has no difficulty in recognizing a Pine tree. The genus is essentially
northern. In this country it is distributed from the Arctic Circle
south to the West Indies and Guatemala. In the Old World species
of Pine are known from the Arctic Circle south to the Canary
Islands, northern Africa, Himalayas, Burmah, and the Philippine
Islands and one species crosses the Equator to Sumatra. In all some
80 species are known, the greatest number being native of western
North America including Mexico.
Pine trees grow from sea-level to high up on the mountains. They
are social trees and form more or less pure woods or forests of vast
extent. Often, however, they are associated with other Conifers and
broad-leaved trees. The genus contains some of the most important
timber trees of the world and in the temperate regions wherever
trees are planted either for ornamental or for forestry purposes
members of the Pine tribe are in request. In South Africa, in
Australia, and in New Zealand, where no species of Pine is indigenous,
millions have been planted. Of the species employed the Californian
P. radiata is the most useful; indeed, it promises to be the greatest
tree gift the north has contributed to the southern hemisphere.
In the Arboretum some 30 species and 38 varieties of Pinus are
growing and about half this number of species may be said to thrive.
They are all to be found in the Pinetum, which is well worth a visit
at any season of the year but especially during the autumn and
winter months. Of the 30 species 7 are natives of northeastern
North America, 9 of western North America, 8 of the Far East,
1 of the Himalayas, and 5 of Europe. The varieties are mostly
sports which exhibit different types of growth. Some of these have
been found in a wild state but the majority have appeared in gardens
where Pine trees have been raised from seeds over a long period.
These curious forms must be perpetuated by grafting, but for the
69
70
species the best and, indeed, the only practical way of raising Pine
trees is from seeds.
Eastern North American Species. Of these the best and most
beautiful is the White Pine (P. strobus), one of the commonest and
most valuable of native trees. No lengthy description is necessary
since it is known to all who love American trees. Its leaves are gray
with silvery lines, slender, and arranged in bundles of five. The
branches spread more or less horizontally to form a pyramidal crown,
the leaves hanging somewhat give the tree a graceful outline. For
planting as specimens, as forest trees or as shelter belts the White
Pine is for eastern North America the most valuable Pine tree, the
threat of blister rust notwithstanding. It is the most valuable timber
tree of northeastern North America and has played a conspicuous
part in the material development of the country. The vast forests
which formerly existed have been felled and the great trees, once
the pride of the northern forests, no longer exist. However, it is
still plentiful, regenerates readily in open country, and the sylvan
landscapes of New England owe much of their peculiar charm to the
widespreading, gray-green crowns of this tree.
There are several varieties of the White Pine in cultivation, the
most useful being ncnia and fastigiata. The dwarf form (nana)
makes a broad, more or less round-topped bush of dense habit,
seldom more than 6 feet tall but twice that in diameter. Distinct
and decidedly ornamental is the variety fastigiata, which has ascend-
ing stems forming a columnar crown, the loose arrangement of its
foliage taking away the stiffness so usual in upright-growing trees.
Another excellent species is P. resinosa, the Red or Norway Pine, so
named for a small village in Maine where once this tree was abund-
ant. This is a handsome tree sometimes 80 feet tall with a straight
trunk clothed with light, reddish brown, rather thick bark. The
leaves, two in a sheath, are long but the branching of the tree is light
and open. For ornamental purposes in eastern North America it is
comparable with, but superior to the Austrian Pine. The Jack Pine
(P. Banksiana) and the Jersey Pine (P. virginiaiia) can be recom-
mended for planting on rocky waste lands. They are similar in
habit of growth but the cones are quite distinct. In the Jack Pine
it is oblong, points toward the apex of the branch and remains closed
for many years. In the Jersey Pine the cone scales open at maturity.
In the Arboretum this species has naturalized itself. The Pitch
Pine (P. rigida) is an unlovely tree, readily recognized by the
presence of green sprouts on the trunk. Except that it will grow
where lashed by the sea, it has little garden value. The other two
species, P. pinigens, the Hickory Pine of the Appalachian Mountains,
and P. echmata, the Short-leaved Pine, barely exist in the Arboretum.
Western North American Species. The best of these is P. monti-
cola, the White Pine of the Rocky Mountains. In many respects this
resembles P. strobus but has thicker leaves which give the crown
a heavier appearance. It grows more slowly than its eastern rela-
tive, which is the more ornamental species. P. ponderosa, the Yellow
or Bull Pine, grows quite well in the Arboretum, its long, dark
Upright White Pine {Pinus strobus fastigiata)
72
green, thick foliage giving it, as its specific name indicates, a ponder-
ous appearance. There is a form with hanging branches known as
pendida, which has a distinct place in the garden. The variety
Jeffreyi is one of the few Pacific coast Pines that thrive here. The
Sugar Pine (P. Lamhertiana) grows very slowly and gives no promise
of ever becoming a useful ornamental tree. The Limber Pine {P.
fiexilis), although of slow growth, is perfectly hardy and happy in
the Arboretum. Its relatively long, plume-like branches give it a
characteristic appearance. The related P. arista fa and P. Balfouriana,
the Foxtail Pines, do poorly.
Far Eastern Species. The Japanese White Pine (P. parviflora)
and the Korean Nut Pine (P. koraiensis) do well in the Arboretum.
In Japan the first named is often grafted on P. Thunbey'gii, the
result being a stunted, short-needled plant of value only for Japanese
gardens. Raised from seeds, it is a free growing tree with wide-
spreading, rather rigid and stiff branches. The Korean Nut Pine for
eastern North America is better than the Swiss Pine (P. cernbra)
which it strongly resembles. It grows faster and its dark and thick
needles give it a very handsome appearance. This is the best of
the Oriental Pines from the point of view of its timber. The Red
Pine of Japan (P. densifioru) is also quite at home in eastern North
America. It has short grey-green needles and reddish brown bark.
The Black Pine (P. Thunberyii) with thick black-green leaves and
large pure white winter buds is excellent for planting by the sea.
Its branches are apt to grow crookedly and the tree assumes the
appearance one is familiar with in Japanese paintjngs and embroid-
eries. The White Pine of China (/\ Armandi) and the Bhotan Pine
(P. excelsa) suffer from boring insects and neither promise to make
trees in the Arboretum.
European Species. Of these, three with numerous varieties do
very well in Massachusetts. The Austrian Pine (P. nigra) and its
several varieties grow rapidly and with their dense, rather heavy,
black-green foliage are decidedly ornamental. They withstand spray
and strong gales well and for seashore gardens and windbreaks this
species and its forms have great value. The Mountain Pine of central
Europe (P. mugo) is one of the most useful dwarf Pines for garden
purposes that can be grown in eastern North America. Its dark
foliage and compact habit make it most adaptable for small gardens
and for foundation plantings. Of the several varieties, compacta^
mnghus and pumilio are the best known. All are well worthwhile.
The Macedonian Pine (P. peace) grows slowly and does not promise
to be of much ornamental value. The Scots Pine (P. sylvestris) ,
perhaps the most useful of all the European species, is not a success
in eastern North America; it grows rapidly when young but after
about twenty years becomes stunted and subject to insect attacks and
fungous diseases. No one Pine has been more abundantly planted in
this part of the world, and it is more than probable that many will rue
the day they set it out in expectation of its value as a timber produc-
ing tree. E. H. W.
These Bulletins will now be discontinued until April of next year.
INDEX TO SERIES 3 VOLUME II
Synonyms are in italics; illustrations in black face type
Abies hrachyphylla, 49
— cephalonica, 50
— cilicica, 50
— concolor, 49
Lowiana, 49
— Fargesii, 50
— homolepis, 49
umbellata, 50
— Nordmanniana, 50
— recurvata, 50
Acer rubrum, 5
American Plums, 17
Amur Barberry, 68
Andromeda f orbuinda, 12
Apple Rose, 46
Arborvitae, 21
Asiatic Cherries, 18
— Crabapples, 17, 18
— Quinces, 17
Autumn Transplanting, 10
Azalea Louisa Hunnewell, 38
Vaseyi, 35, 36
— viscosa, 61
Azaleas, 10, 18, 21, 22, 34, 36, 37, 38
Balsam Poplar, 18
Barberries, 45, 60, 68
Beautybush, 48
Bechtel’s Crab, 39, 40
Benzoin aestivale, 1, 5
Berberis aggregata, 60
Prattii, 60
— amurensis, 68
— polyantha, 60
— Regeliana, 68
— vulgaris, 68
japonica, 68
Boursault Rose, 46
Brooms, 34
Buddleia alternifolia, 58
— Davidii, 58
Bunchberries, 28
Bush Honeysuckles, 45
Bussey Hill, 18, 34, 48
Buttonbush, 60
Carolina Hemlock, 33
Catalpa speciosa, 54
Caucasian Fir, 50
Cedars of Lebanon, 21
Cedrela sinensis, 18
Centre Street Path, 46
Cephalanthus occidentalis, 60
Cercidiphyllum japonicum, 5
Cercis canadensis, 20
— chinensis, 20
Cherries, 17
Canadian Plum, 17
Candytufts, 9
Chinese Almond, 15, 16, 17
— Cedar, 18
— Dogwood, 48, 52
— Golden Larch, 34
— Redbud, 20
— Silver Firs, 50
Cicilian Fir, 50
Cinquefoil, 45
Cladrastris, 62
— tinctoria, 62
Clematis, 5
Clethra barbinervis, 61
Climbing Hydrangea, 58
Colutea arborescens, 46
Colorado White Fir, 49
Common Apple, 40
— Hemlock, 33
— Lilac, 29, 30, 32, 37
Conifers, 9, 10, 20, 33, 34, 49
Cornelian Cherry, 1, 6, 8, 10, 60
Cornels, 60
Cornus amomum, 60
— canadensis, 28
— capitata, 26
— dubia, 60
— florida, 25, 27, 48
pendula, 26
pluribracteata, 26
rubra, 26
xanthocarpa, 26
— kousa, 26 46
chinensis, 26, 48, 52
73
74
— mas, 1, 6, 8, 60
— Nuttallii, 26
— officinalis, 6, 8
— paucinervis, 60
— suecica, 28
Corylopsis, 12
— Gotoana, 12, 20
— pauciflora, 12, 20
— spicata, 12, 20
Cotoneaster salicifolia floccosa, 52
Cotoneasters, 52
Crabapples, 21, 24, 40, 65, 68
Cytisus, 48
Daphne Mezereum, 5
David’s Peach, 5
Deutzia Viimorinae, 46
— Wilsonii, 46
Deutzias, 20, 45, 46, 48
Diervilla Maximowiczii, 36
Diervillas, 36, 37, 45
Dirca palustris, 1, 5
Dogwood, 34, 36, 46
Double- flowered Spring Cherry,
Ehretia thyrsiflora, 54
Elaeagnus angustifolia, 52
— longipes, 60
Elm Leaf Prunus, 16
Enkianthus, 37, 38
— campanulatus, 37
albiflorus, 37
Palibinii, 37
— cernuus, 38
^ rubens, 38
— japonicns, 37
— perulatus, 37
— subsessilis, 38
Erica carnea, 9
— darleyensis, 9
European Hawthorn, 68
Fir, Caucasian, 50
— Cicilian, 50
— Colorado White, 49
Greek, 50
— Nikko, 49
Nordmann, 50
Flame Azalea, 48, 56
Flowering Currants, 17
— Dogwood, 25, 26, 27, 28
Forest Hills Gate, The, 13, 17
Forsythia europaea, 4
— Giraldiana, 2
intermedia, 2, 4
densiflora, 4
primulina, 4
spectabilis, 3, 4
— — vitellina, 4
~ japonica, 4
saxatilis, 4
— ovata, 2
— suspensa, 2, 4
— -- atrocaulis, 4
Fortunei, 2
koreana, 4
pubescens, 2
— viridissima, 4
Forsythias, 1, 2, 10, 13, 17
Fothergilla Gardenii, 28
major, 28
— monticola, 28
Fothergillas, 28
jg Goldenbells, 1, 4
Great Laurel, 57
Greek Fir, 50
Hawthorn, European, 68
Hawthorns, 18
Heather, 9
Hemlock, Carolina, 33
Hemlocks, 33
Honeysuckles, 5, 37, 61
Hydrangea petiolaris, 58
— Rosthornii, 52
xanthoneura, 52
setchuenensis, 52
Wilsonii, 52
Iberis sempervirens, 9
— Tenoreana, 9
Indigofera amblyantha, 48
Kirilowii, 46
Japanese Cherry Albo-rosea, 21, 34
Gioiko, 22
Gozanomanioi, 22
^Grandiflora, 22
Homogena, 21
— — Horinji, 21
— Jugatsu-zakura, 16
^ Kirigaya, 21
Masuyama, 21
Sekiyama, 21, 34
Shogetsu, 21
Sirotae, 21
Yaye-higan, 16
— Cherries,
10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 34
— Spring Cherry, 10
— Wistaria, 40
Junipers, 21, 34
Kerria japonica, 36
pleniflora, 36
Kalmias, 12, 62, 64
Katsura, 5
Koelreuteria paniculata, 62'
Kolkwitzia amabilis, 48
Laburnum, 62
Leatherwood, 1, 5
Leptodermus oblonga, 60
Lilacs, 1, 10, 17, 29, 30, 32
— French, 32
— • — Christophe Colomb, 32
Congo, 32
Due de Massa, 32
Edith Cavell, 32
— - Edmond Boissier, 32
Georges Bellair, 32
Leon Gambetta, 32
— - Lucie Baltet, 32
Macrostachya, 32
- - Madame Casimir Perier, 32
— Madame Florent Stepman, 32
Madame F. Morel, 32
- Marceau, 32
Monge, 32
- Mont Blanc, 32
~ — Olivier de Serres, 32
- Paul Thirion, 32
Princess Alexandria, 32
— Princess Clementine, 32
Reaumur, 32
- Rene Jarry-Desloges, 32
— Thunberg, 32
Turenne, 32
Vestale, 31, 32
Violetta, 32
Lonicera Altmannii, 46
— deflexicalyx, 45
— fragrantissima, 45
— Korolkowii, 45
Maackii podocarpa, 45
praeflorens, 5
Standishii, 5
— thibetica, 45
Maackia amurensis, 61
Buergeri, 61
— chinensis, 61
Fauriei, 61
Magnolia glauca, 54
— stellata, 5
— virginiana, 54
Watsonii, 46
Magnolias, 10
Mahonia Aquifolum, 10
repens, 9
Malus baccata, 20, 23
mandshurica, 20
— coronaria, 40
— ioensis, 40
plena, 39, 40
— micromalus, 17
— spectabilis, 24
— theifera, 24
toringoides, 67, 68
Maple, Red, 5
Mezereon, 5
Mitchella repens, 60
Mollis Azaleas, 38
Nikko Fir, 49
Ninebarks, 45
Nordmann Fir, 50
Oaks, 21
October-flowering Cherry, 16
Oriental Dogwoods, 28
— Pears, 18
— Viburnums, 38
Witch-Hazels, 8, 10
Oxydendrum arboreum, 62
Pachistima Canbyi, 9
Partridge-berry, 60
Pentstemon, 36
Pepper-bushes, 61
Periwinkle, 9
Persian Lilacs, 37
Peters Hill, 18
Phellodendron, 6
Philadelphus Albatre, 51
76
— Avalanche, 50
— Boule d’argent, 50
— Candelabra, 50
— coronarius, 50
— Erectus, 50
— Lemoinei, 50
— microphyllus, 50
— Mont Blanc, 50
— Monteau d’hermine, 50
Physocarpus amurensis, 45
— bracteatus, 45
Pieris floribunda, 10, 11
— formosa, 12
— japonica, 12
— taiwanensis, 12
Pine, Austrian, 72
— Bhotan, 72
— Black, 72
— Bull, 70
— Chinese White, 70
— Fox-tail, 72
— Hickory, 70
— Jack, 70
— Japanese Red, 72
White, 72
— Jersey, 70
— Korean Nut, 72
— Limber, 72
— Macedonian, 72
— Mountain, 72
— Norway, 70
— Pitch, 70
Red, 70
— Scots, 72
— Short-leaved, 70
— Sugar, 72
— Swiss, 72
— White, 70
Yellow, 70
Pinus, 69
— aristata, 72
— Armandi, 72
— Balfouriana, 72
— Banksiana, 70
— cembra, 72
— densiflora, 72
— echinata, 70
— excelsa, 72
— flexilis, 72
— koraiensis, 72
— Lambertiana, 72
— monticola, 70
mugo, 72
compacta, 72
mughus, 72
pumilio, 72
— nigra, 72
— parviflora, 72
— peuce, 72
— ponderosa, 70
— — Jeffreyi, 72
pendula, 72
— pungens, 70
— radiata, 69
— resinosa, 70
— rigida, 70
strobus, 70
fastigiata, 71
nana, 70
— sylvestris, 72
Thunbergii, 72
virginiana, 70
Potentilla fruticosa, 45
dahurica, 45
Veitchii, 45
Prinsepia sinensis, 17, 20
Privet, 30, 32, 54
Prunus avium, 17
campanulata, 14
Cerasus, 17
— Davidiana, 5
glandulosa, 16
incisa, 16
japonica, 16
Nakaii, 17
— serrulata spontanea, 17
— subhirtella, 10, 14, 16
ascendens, 16
autumnalis, 16
pendula, 16
— tomentosa, 16
— triloba, 15, 16
multiplex, 16
simplex, 16
yedoensis, 14
Pseudolarix amabilis, 34
Pterostyrax hispida, 46
Pyrus Gallery ana, 18, 19
— serotina, 18
— serrulata, 18
— ussuriensis, 18
ovoidea, 17
77
Rambler Rose, 36
Red Dogwood, 26
— Maple, 5
Rhododendron arborescens, 56
— arboreum, 41
— brachycarpum, 42
— calendulaceum, 48, 56
— carolinianum, 42
— catawbiense, 41
— caucasicum, 41
— ciliatum, 6
— dauricum, 5, 6
album, 6
ciliatum, 6
mucronulatum, 5, 6, 7, 18
sempervirens, 6
— japonicum, 38
— maximum, 41, 57
album, 57
purpureum, 57
— — superbum, 57
— Metternichii, 42
— molle, 38
— obtusum Kaempferi, 34
— ponticum, 41, 42
— praecox, 6
— Schlippenbachii, 10, 18, 22
— yedoense poukhanense, 18, 22
Rhododendrons, 9, 37, 57, 62
— Hybrid Album Elegans, 42
Album Grandiflorum, 42
Atrosanguineum, 42
Boule de Neige, 42
Caractacus, 42
- Cassiope, 42
— — Catawbiense Album, 42
— - Charles Dickens, 42
— - Coriaceum, 42
Everestianum, 42
Glennyanum, 42, 43
Henrietta Sargent, 42
H. W. Sargent, 42
Lady Armstrong, 42
Mrs. Charles Sargent, 42
Mrs. Harry Ingersoll, 42
Mont Blanc, 42
Purpureum grandiflorum, 42
Roseum elegans, 42
Ribes aureum, 17
Rosa alba, 46
bella, 46
— centifolia, 46
damascena, 46
Ecae, 46
eglanteria, 46
Fedtschenkoana, 46
Harisonii, 46
Hugonis, 46
Lheritierana, 46
- Moyesii, 48
-- multiflora, 46
cathayensis, 46
- omeiensis, 46
“ rubrifolia, 46
rugosa alba, 46
- — rosea, 46
~ Serafinii, 46
- villosa duplex, 46
— virginiana, 46
Rose Bay, 57
Rose Rugosa Hybrid, 46
Belle Poitevine, 46
Blanche Double de Coubert,
46
F. J. Grootendorst, 46
Max Graf, 46
Roserie de L’Hay, 46
— Sir Thomas Lipton, 46
Rosebud Cherry, 16
Rouen Lilac, 37
Russian Olive, 52
Sargent Cherries, 14
Schizophragma hydrangeoides,
58, 59
- integrifolium, 60
Sciadopitys verticillata, 63
Scotch Roses, 46
Seashore Rose, 46
Shrub Garden, 17, 45
Silver Firs, 10, 49, 50
Sophora japonica, 62
pendula, 62
— viciifolia, 48
Sorrel-tree, 62
Sourwood, 62, 64
Sphaeralcea remota, 64
Spicebush, 1, 5
Spiraea arguta, 17
- gemmata, 46
- Henryi, 45, 46
— trichocarpa, 45, 46
Veitchii, 55, 56
78
Spiraeas, 17, 20, 45, 46, 48, 56, 61
Spring Cherry, 14
-- Heath, 9
Spruces, 10, 33
Staphylea holocarpa, 20
Stewartia koreana, 53
— malacodendron, 54
— monadelpha, 53
— pentagyna, 54
grandiflora, 54
— pseudocamellia, 53
— serrata, 53
— sinensis, 53
— virginica, 54
Styrax japonica, 44, 46
— obassia, 44
Sweetbay, 54
Sweetbriar, 46
Syringa vulgaris, 29
— Wolfii, 44
Tsuga caroliniana, 33
Taxus cuspidata, 34
Tokyo Cherry, 14
Torch Azalea, 34
Umbrella Pine, 63, 6t
Viburnum americanum, 65
— betulifolium, 66
— bracteatum, 46
cassinoides, 47, 48
— dilatatum, 50, 66
xanthocarpum, 52, 68
— erosum, 66
— hupehense, 66
— ichangense, 66
— lobophyllum, 66
— pauciflorum, 65
— plicatum, 38
— theiferum, 65
— tomentosum, 38
sterile, 38
trilobum, 65
Wrightii, 66
Vinca minor, 9
White Pines, 5, 37
Wild Roses, 46
Wilson’s Crabapple, 68
Winter Effects. 9
Wistaria floribunda rosea, 40
Wistarias, 37
Witch-Hazels, 12, 28
Xanthorrhiza apiifolia, 5
Yellow-root, 5
Yellow-wood, 62 , ,
Yews, 9, 10, 33, 34
Yoshino Cherry, 14
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