Page images
PDF
EPUB

App. i.

Other Sorts of Myricària not yet introduced.

M. squamosa Desv., Ann. Sc. Nat., 4. p. 350., Don's Mill., 2. p. 728., is probably only a variety of M. dahùrica.

M. longifolia Dec., Don's Mill., 2. p. 728.; Tamarix germánica Pall.; T. decandra Pall.; T. longifolia Willd., M. linearifolia Desv.) is a native of Siberia, at the Baikal, in saltish places. There are two forms of it described by Ehrenberg, in the Linnea. It grows to the height of 5 ft. or

6 ft.

M. herbacea Desv., Tamarix germánica subherbàcea Pall, appears to be a variety of M. germánica, as are, probably, all the other sorts above mentioned. The leaves and young shoots of this sort are used by the Mongolians as tea, and are administered by the priests of Tibet as medicine. M. bracteata Royle Illust., p. 214. t. 44., is found in the vicinity of Cashmere.

M. élegans Royle, 1. c., is found at Lippa and Kunawar, where the climate resembles that of Tartary, and the soil is saline.

Both these Nepal species will probably prove hardy in Britain, when introduced.

CHAP. XLVIII.

OF THE HARDY LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF THE ORDER PHILADELPHA'CEE.

THE hardy ligneous genera of this order are only two, and their characteristics may be taken together, as representing those of the order. PHILADELPHUS L. Calyx with an obovate top-shaped tube that adheres to the ovary the limb is in 4-5 parts. Petals 4-5, in æstivation convolutely imbricate. Stamens 20-40, inserted into the throat of the calyx, in 1-2 series, shorter than the petals; the filaments distinct. Styles 4-5, in some instances connate, in others more or less distinct. Stigmas 4-5, oblong or linear, in most instances distinct, in a few connate. Capsule half adnate to the calyx, of 4-5 cells, and enclosing many seeds. Seeds resembling sawdust; individually awl-shaped, smooth, and included in an oblong, lax, membranous aril, that in some instances is fringed: they are grouped upon an angular placenta, in the angles of the cells. Albumen fleshy. Embryo inverted, almost as long as the albumen. Cotyledons oval-obtuse, flattish. Radicle rather taper, longer than the cotyledons, straight, obtuse. Shrubs or undershrubs, from the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, and some of them from Western Asia. Leaves opposite, nerved, dentate or almost entire. Flowers white, pediceled upon axillary or terminal peduncles, that are branched in a trichotomously cymose, or in a somewhat panicled, manner, bracteated. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 205.) DECUMA RIA L. Calyx with its tube bell-shaped; its limb with 7-10 teeth. Petals as many as the teeth of the calyx, alternate with them, oblong. Stamens thrice as many as the petals, 2 in front of every petal, 1 between every 2 petals, all in 1 whorl. Style 1, very thick, expanded at the tip into a disk that bears 7-10 radiating stigmas. Capsule of egg-like figure, terminated by the style and stigma, and connate with the calyx to higher than the middle. The calyx has 7-10 nerves, and is toothless. The capsule has 7-10 cells, is valveless, and opens irregularly near the rather prominent nerves of the calyx. Seeds numerous, oblong, each enclosed in a membranous aril, and obliquely affixed to the centre. A sarmentose shrub. Leaves opposite, glabrous, entire, or dentate at the tip. Leaf buds hairy with short reddish hairs. Flowers white, sweet-scented, terminal, disposed subcorymbosely. The sexes are sometimes dioecious in gardens. (Dec. Prod. iii. p. 206.)

DEUTZIA Thunb. is a genus closely allied to Philadelphus; and it is highly probable that some of the species will ultimately be found to be as hardy as those of that genus; but, as this has not yet been proved to be the case, we have treated it as only half-hardy.

GENUS I.

PHILADELPHUS L. THE PHILADELPHUS, or MOCK ORANGE. Lin. Syst. Icosándria Monogýnia.

Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 614.; Gærtn. Fruct., 1. p. 173. t. 35.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 205.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 806.

Synonymes. Syringa Tourn. Inst., t. 389., not of Lin.; Philadelphus, Fr.; Pfeifenstrauch (Pipe Shrub), Ger.; Pipe Privet, Gerard; the Syringa of the gardens.

Derivation. Philadelphus is a name used by Athenæus for a tree which cannot now be identified: Bauhin applied it to this genus. (Encyclopædia of Plants, p. 415.) Instead of the common trivial name Syringa, applied to this genus in gardens, as its English name, we have substituted its generic name, Philadelphus; Syringa being the generic name of the lilac.

Description. Deciduous shrubs, natives of Europe, North America, and Asia; cultivated for their very showy white flowers; most of which have a strong scent, resembling, at a distance, that of orange flowers, but, when near, disagreeably powerful. All the species are of the easiest culture in any tolerably dry soil; and they are all propagated by layers, or by suckers or cuttings. The only sorts in the Horticultural Society's Garden, which are truly distinct, either as species or varieties, are P. coronàrius, P. (c.) inodòrus, P. verrucòsus, P. láxus, P. (1.) grandiflòrus, P. hirsutus, and P. tomentosus. The price of plants, in British nurseries, varies from 9d. to 1s. 6d. each; at Bollwyller, from 50 cents to 2 francs; and at New York, from 25 cents to half a dollar.

§i. Stems stiff and straight.

Flowers in Racemes.

807.

1. P. CORONARIUS L. The garland Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Lin. Sp., 671.; Schrad. Diss.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 205.; Don's Mill., 2. p. Synonyme. Syringa suaveolens Monch Meth., 678. Engravings. Bot. Mag., t. 391.; Schkuhr Handb., t. 121.; Lam. Ill., t. 420.; and our fig. 673. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate, acuminate, serrately denticulate, 3-nerved, rather glabrous, but hairy upon the veins beneath; inflorescence racemose. Flowers sweet-scented. Lobes of the calyx acuminate. Styles distinct almost from the base, not exceeding the stamens in height. A native of the south of Europe, but not common there. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 205.) Varieties. This species varies in having its leaves sometimes perfectly glabrous beneath, and sometimes slightly pubescent along the nerves; and, besides, as follows:

P. c. 1 vulgaris Schkuhr Handb., t. 121., Lam. Ill., t. 420., Dec. Prod., iii. p. 205.-A shrub of about the height of a man. Leaves ovateoblong, large, and rather distant.

P. c. 2 nanus Mill. Dict., 2.-A shrub, 2 ft. high; its branches and leaves crowded, and its flower-bearing branches incurved. It very seldom flowers, and it is not known of what country it is a native. P. c. 3 flore pleno Lodd. Cat. is a dwarf plant, like the above, but with double flowers.

P. c. 4 variegatus Lodd. Cat. has the leaves variegated with white or yellow, and is one of the few varieties of deciduous shrubs, which preserve, through the summer, a tolerably healthy appearance with their variegation.

Description, &c. The common syringa, or mock orange, is a shrub of 10 ft. or 12 ft. in height, crowded with slender upright shoots, which are produced from the base, and along the sides of the stem. These shoots are clothed with a white bark, and interiorly they have a very large pith. The leaves are rough, and of a deep green above, though they are pale beneath. The flowers come out from the sides and ends of the branches, in loose bunches, during the

[graphic]

months of May and June, before any of the other species of the genus. The flowers smell like those of the orange, and the leaves taste like the fruit of the cucumber. Very little is known as to the native country of this species. In the Nouveau Du Hamel it is considered as indigenous to Switzerland; and Pallas is said to have found it in beech forests on Caucasus. In the time of Miller, it was unknown of what country it was a native. Clusius, who, in the sixteenth century, observed plants of it in Spain, Austria, and Hungary, says that he never found it any where in a wild state; and that it was introduced into these countries from Belgium, where it was first cultivated in Europe. It was known to the ancients, and cultivated by the Parthians in the same country where Pallas found it in a wild state. (See Apollodorus, book iv., as quoted in the Nouveau Du Hamel, i. p. 71.) It was first brought into notice, in modern times, by Bauhin; and it is now, owing to the extreme hardiness of the plant, to be found in almost every garden from Lisbon to Naples, and from the Mediterranean to Stockholm and Petersburg. It is one of the few shrubs that can be used to decorate the gardens of the latter cities; though not without some protection during winter. In British gardens, it has been known since the time of Gerard, who had plants of it growing in his garden, "in the suburb of Holborne, in verie great plentie." The flowers are used to give their perfume to pomatum. It will grow in almost any situation, whether open or shady; and it is easily propagated by division of the root, and by suckers, layers, or cuttings. The general mode of propagation, in British nurseries, is by taking up the plants, and dividing them.

Re

2. P. (c)INODO'RUS L. The scentless-flowered Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Lin. Sp., 671.; Catesb. Car., 2. t. 84.; Pursh Flor. Amer. Sept., 1. p. 329.; Sims Bot. Mag., t. 1478.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 206.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 808.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836. Synonymes. Syringa inodora Manch; P. laxus in various English gardens Engravings. Catesb. Car., 2. t. 84.; Bot. Mag., t. 1478.; and our fig. 674. Spec. Char., &c. Leaves broad-ovate, acuminate, perfectly entire, 3-nerved, usually feather-nerved. Flowers singly, or in threes. Style, at the very tip divided into 4 oblong stigmas. A native of South Carolina, upon the banks of rivers: very rare. cent botanists do not find it in Carolina. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) Introduced into British gardens in 1738, and to be found in various collections. It is a somewhat rambling shrub, not quite so high, nor altogether so hardy, as P. coronàrius; though it appears to be only a variety of that species. There are plants in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges, and in the Vauxhall Nursery, and they are easily re

[graphic]

cognised from every other sort, by having the leaves perfectly entire.

3. P. (c.) ZEY'HERI Schrad. Zeyher's Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 205.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 807. Engraving. Schrad. Diss. Philad., ic.

Spec. Char., &c. Not so tall as P. c. vulgàris. Leaves ovate, acuminate, serrately denticulate, rounded at the base, 3-nerved, hairy upon the veins beneath. Inflorescence somewhat racemose. Flowers fewer and larger than in P. c. vulgàris, and scentless. Lobes of the calyx long, acuminate. Style deeply 4-cleft. A native of North America. It differs from P. c. vulgàris, chiefly in its leaves being rounded at the base, and in its flowers being fewer, larger, and scentless. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 205.) There is a plant in the Horticultural Society's garden.

4. P. VERRUCo'sus Schrad. The warted Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 205.; Don's Mill, 2. p. 807. Synonyme. P. grandiflorus Lindl. Bot. Reg., t. 570., Lodd. Cat. ed. 1836.

Engravings. Bot. Reg., t. 570.; and our fig. 675.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves elliptic-ovate, acuminate, denticulate, pubescent with hairs beneath, and bearing beneath, upon the midrib and primary veins, warts

Similar

at the base of the hairs.
warts are, also, on the peduncles,
pedicels, and calyxes. Inflorescence
racemose. Lobes of the calyx acu-
minate. Style, at the very tip, 4-cleft.
(Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) A native
of North America. Introduced in
1800, or before; and forming a vi-
gorous-growing shrub, 8 ft. or 10 ft.
high, or more, with young shoots twice
the thickness of those of P. coronà-
rius, and having a somewhat more
fastigiate habit. P. speciòsus Schrad.
appears to be only a variety of this
species. When in flower, this sort
and the two following make a splendid

[graphic][subsumed]

appearance; the plants, in fine seasons, being so entirely covered with bloom as scarcely to show the leaves. To give them a gardenesque character, they ought to stand singly, with abundance of room, and have all their suckers removed as they are produced, so as to leave each bush with only a single stem.

5. P. (v.) LATIFO'LIUS Schrad. The broad-leaved Philadelphus, or Mock Orange.

Identification. Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., S. p. 206.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 807.; Lodd. Cat., edit. 1836.

Synonyme. P. pubescens Cels Hort., Lois. Herb. Amat., t. 208.

Engravings. Lois. Herb. Amat., t. 208.; and our fig. 676.

Spec. Char.,&c. Bark whitish. Leaves broad-ovate, acuminate, toothed, nerved with about 5 nerves, and pubescent with hairs beneath. Flowers in racemes. Lobes of the calyx acuminate. Style 4-cleft at the very tip. A native of North America. It is distinguishable by its bark being whitish; and by its leaves, especially those of the younger branches, being more broadly ovate; and by the hairs they bear not being based by warts. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) There

are plants in the Garden of the London Horticultural Society, and in the arboretum of Messrs. Loddiges; and they appear to us to be nothing more than a variety of P. verrucosus. As a tolerably dis

676

tinct variety, however, and as a splendid plant when in flower, it is well deserving of cultivation.

6. P. (v.) FLORIBUNDUS Schrad.

The abundant-flowered Philadelphus, or Mock Orange.

Identification. Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 205.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 807.
Engraving. Schrad. Diss. Philad., ic.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves ovate-oval, and with a long acuminate tip, serrately toothed, 3-nerved, pubescent, with hairs beneath. Inflorescence subracemose. Flowers 5-7, showy, slightly scented. Lobes of the calyx long and acuminate. Style 4-cleft at the very tip. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 205.) A native of North America, which has been some years in British gardens,

where it grows to the height of 6 ft. or 8 ft., flowering in May and June. The plant with this name in the Horticultural Society's Garden appears to be only a variety of P. verrucosus.

ii. Stems more slender, rambling, twiggy, and loose. Flowers solitary, or 2 or 3 together.

7. P. LA'XUS Schrad. The loose-growing Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Hortul.; Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., 3.

[graphic]

p. 206.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 807.

Synonymes. P. hùmilis Hortul.; P. pubescens Lodd. Cat., edit.

1836.

Engravings. Schrad. Diss. Philad., ic.; and our fig. 677.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves oval-ovate and with a long acuminate tip, toothed, pubescent with hairs beneath. Flowers solitary, 2 or 3 together. Lobes of the calyx very long, acuminate. Style 4-cleft. Stigmas about level with the stamens. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) A native of North America. Introduced about 1830; and, according to the specimens in the Horticultural Society's Garden, and at Messrs. Loddiges, a rambling sarmentose shrub, growing to the height of 3 ft. or 4 ft., with somewhat pubescent leaves, and brown shoots; apparently, the tenderest of the genus.

8. P. (L.) GRANDIFLORUS Willd. The large-flowered Philadelphus, or Mock Orange.

Identification. Willd. Enum., 1. p. 511.; Guimp. Abb. Holz., t. 44.; Schrad. Diss. Philad.; Dec. Prod., 3. p. 206.; Don's Mill, 2. p. 807.

Synonyme. P. inodorus Hortul.; P. láxus Lodd. Cat., edit. 1836.

Engravings. Guimp. Abb. Holz., t. 44.; Schrad. Diss. Philad., ic.; and our fig. 676.

Spec. Char., &c. A shrub, 10 ft. or 12 ft. high. Epidermis of the branches of a reddish brown colour. Leaves ovate, with a long acuminate tip, denticulate, 3-nerved, hairy upon the veins, and with groups of hairs in the áxils of the veins. Flowers about 3 together, or solitary; scentless. Lobes of the calyx long, acuminate. Styles, concrete into one which extends beyond the stamens. A native of North America; introduced into British gardens in 1811. Stigmas 4, linear. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) A loose, rambling shrub, seldom exceeding 4 ft. or 5 ft. in height, and differing in P. làxus chiefly in having more pubescence on the leaves, and considerably larger flowers.

9. P. HIRSUTUS Nutt. The hairy-leaved Philadelphus, or Mock Orange. Identification. Nutt. Gen. Am., 1. p. 301.; Dec. Prod., S. p. 206.; Don's Mill., 2. p. 808. Synonymes. P. villosus Lodd. Cat.; P. gracilis Lodd. Cat.

Engravings. Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 47. ; and our figs. 678, 678 a.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves oblong-ovate, acute, dentate, 5-nerved, hairy on both surfaces, whitish on the under one. Flowers singly, or by threes. Styles concrete to the tip. Stigmas undivided. Frequent in rocks of North America, in Tennessee, by the river French. (Dec. Prod., iii. p. 206.) Introduced into British gardens in 1820, where it grows to the height of 3 ft., flowering in June. This is a hairy sarmentose shrub, distinct from all the

[graphic]

678 a

+

other sorts; and which would, probably, grow to the height of 20 ft. or

« PreviousContinue »