Philadelphus

PHILADELPHUS CORONARIUS.--Mock Orange, or Syringa. South Europe, 1596. A

well-known and valuable garden shrub, of from 6 feet to 10 feet high,

with ovate and serrulated leaves, and pretty racemes of white or

yellowish-white, fragrant flowers. P. coronarius aureo-variegatus is one

of the numerous forms of this shrub, having brightly-tinted, golden

foliage, but the flowers are in no way superior to those of the parent.

I is, if only for the foliage, an extremely pretty and distinct

variety. P. coronarius argenteo-variegatus has silvery-tinted leaves; P.

coronarius flore-pleno, full double flowers; and P. coronarius Keteleeri

flore-pleno is the best double-flowered form in cultivation.



P. GORDONIANUS, an American species (1839), is a well-known and

beautiful shrub, in which the flowers are usually double the size of

those of the common species, and which are not produced till July, while

those of P. coronarius appear in early May.



P. GRANDIFLORUS (_syns P. floribundus, P. latifolius_ and _P.

speciosus_).--Southern United States, 1811. This has rotundate,

irregularly-toothed leaves, and large white, sweetly-scented flowers

produced in clusters. This forms a stout bush 10 feet high, and as much

through. There are two varieties, P. grandiflorus laxus, and P.

grandiflorus speciosissimus, both distinct and pretty kinds.



P. HIRSUTUS.--North America, 1820. Another handsome, small-flowered

species, of dwarf growth, and having hairy leaves.



P. INODOROUS, also from North America (1738), differs little in size

and shape of flowers from P. grandiflorus, but the flowers are without

scent. The leaves, too, are quite glabrous and obscurely toothed.



P. LEMOINEI BOULE D'ARGENT is a cross, raised in 1888, from P. Lemoinei

and the double-flowered form of P. coronarius. The flowers are double

white and with the pleasant, but not heavy, scent of P. microphyllus. P.

Lemoinei Gerbe de Neige bears pleasantly-scented flowers that are as

large as those of the well-known P. speciosissimus. There is an erect

form of P. Lemoinei named erectus that is also worthy of note.



P. LEWISI, from North America, is hardly sufficiently distinct from some

of the others to warrant special notice.



P. MICROPHYLLUS, from New Mexico (1883), is of low growth, and

remarkable for its slender branches, small, Myrtle-like leaves, and

abundance of small, white flowers. It is a decidedly pretty shrub, but

is not so hardy as the others.



P. SATZUMI (_syn P. chinensis_).--Japan, 1851. A slender-growing

species, with long and narrow leaves, and large, white flowers.



P. TRIFLORUS and P. MEXICANUS are other species that might be worthy of

including in a representative collection of these plants.



This is a valuable genus of shrubs, all being remarkable for the

abundance of white, and usually sweet-scented, flowers which they

produce. They require no special treatment, few soils, if at all free

and rich, coming amiss to them; while even as shrubs for shady

situations they are not to be despised. Propagation is effected by means

of cuttings, which root freely if placed in sandy soil.