Vol. 43 No. 1 Winter 1982-83 arno

Amoldia (ISSN 0004-2633) is published quarterly in CONTENTSS spnng, summer, autumn, and winter by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Page Subscriptions are $10.00 per year, single copies $3.00. 3 Winter Gardens Second-class postage paid at Boston, Massachusetts. Carl R. Hahn

Postmaster: Send to: address changes 133 Evergreens for the Retired Gardener’s Amoldia Garden The Arnold Arboretum Donald Wyman The Arborway Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 211 Augustine Henry and the Exploration of the Chinese Flora Copynght © 1983 President and Fellows of Harvard College E. Charles Nelson Eileen J. Dunne, Editor 39 Native Plants: Another View Richard E Weaver, Jr., Associate Editor Harmson Flmt David Ford, Graphic Designer

Joan Poser, Assistant to the Editor

Front cover photo: Fruits of the cotoneaster ’Firebird’. Back cover: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata~. Photos by Al Bussewitz

Winter Gardens Carl R. Hahn

A surprisingly large number of books have though these plants have become popular for been written on the subject of winter gar- their late-season floral color, they also have dens and plants of winter interest. Yet I have very attractive bark, which enhances the seen relatively few gardens in the United winter landscape. States specifically designated as "winter Below is a list of trees and shrubs espe- gardens." Although winter gardens may be cially valuable for their winter interest. of only marginal interest in frost-free areas With very few exceptions these have consid- of the country and difficult to achieve where erable merit as landscape plants in other sea- winters are long and severe, over much of sons as well. Some, designated by an asterisk the United States climatic conditions are (*), have not been found to be reliably hardy such that many trees and shrubs of winter at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, where interest can be grown easily. the minimum winter temperature is - 10°F A current trend that may eventually make to -5°F. winter gardens more common is an increas- With the vagaries of winter weather, the ing interest among horticulturists in mul- blooming times of winter-flowering trees tiseasonal woody plants. Various holly hy- and shrubs can vary considerably from year brids and species, viburnums, and cultivars of to year. A case in point is wintersweet such dogwoods as Comus florida and C. (Chimonanthus praecox~. * In the area kousa are currently riding a crest of popular- around Washington, D.C., several plants ity, while peegee hydrangeas, deutzias, were in bloom on New Year’s Day, 1982, de- lilacs, and spireas are not as highly favored lightfully perfuming the air. Two days later as they once were. Similarly, much atten- the flowers were dead, killed by extremely tion is now being paid to plants that flower cold weather. In 1981 the flower buds were at seasons in which few other trees and killed as they began to open, although in shrubs are in bloom; for example, the other years this shrub was in flower between Stewartia species and the new hybrid crape Christmas and New Year’s Day. In some myrtles from the National Arboretum. Al- years it does not begin to flower until Feb- ruary, and in others flowering occurs sporad- ically from December to March. Such is the fate of many winter-flowering plants in areas can mild Opposite : Hamamehs vmginiana is the first of that experience relatively and open the witch hazels to blossom. The flowers usually winters one year and brutally cold ones the appear in October or November. next. P.E. Genereux photo. Wintersweet does not have showy flowers 4

but is valued for its fragrance. The flowers hazels is H. x intermedia ’Diane’. The plant measure % to 1 inch across and have waxy has a neat and attractive habit and its large and translucent outer tepals (undiffer- crimson-red flowers appear in February. Oc- entiated sepals and petals) of a yellow-green casionally ’Diane’ produces red and yellow color. The inner tepals are smaller and flowers on the same stem. Unlike many of purplish brown. the other red-flowered cultivars, ’Diane’ ‘ The variety gran diflorus has somewhat stands out well in winter landscapes. The larger flowers, up to 13/4 inches in diameter, witch-hazel cultivars with other than yellow and deeper yellow tepals but is less strongly flowers become "lost" against a background scented. Another variety, luteus, is similar of deciduous or evergreen plants, but not except that the inner tepals are yellow rather ’Diane’. Its cheery red flowers glisten in the than purplish. winter sun. The witch hazels are among the most reli- Parrotia persica, a witch-hazel relative able winter-flowering plants in the mid- often mentioned as a winter-flowering plant, Atlantic region. The earliest to flower is usually does not flower before April. It has Hamamelis virginiana, with yellow flowers rather insignificant flowers. appearing usually in October and November. Stachyurus praecox, a coarse-foliaged Several cultivars of witch hazel have shrub that grows to 10 feet or more, is at its arisen over the years, both in the United best in winter. It flowers usually in February States and Europe. Many have resulted from in Washington, D.C., and in March farther the chance hybridization between H. mollis north, and produces up to 20 cream-colored and H. japonica, giving rise to a range of or pale yellow flowers together in racemes 2 petal colors, including red, orange, gold, and to 3 inches long. Flowering often occurs in pale yellow. Among the best of these is H. x alternate years only. S. praecox is a distinc- intermedia ’Arnold Promise’, developed tive plant for the winter garden. from a plant grown from seed sown in 1928 The autumn-flowering cherry (Prunus at the Arnold Arboretum. subhirtella var. autumnalis) is a tree that ’Arnold Promise’ has the qualities of seems to be ready to bloom any time be- heavy flower production, showiness, excep- tween October and April in the Washington tional flower color and size, good autumn area and September and November farther coloration, and attractive growth habit, north provided nature supplies a few con- which combine to make it a first-class secutive warm days. It produces semidouble shrub. It has deep, clear yellow flowers 11/2 white flowers and grows to a height of 30 inches across. The inch-long ribbonlike pet- feet. The cultivar ’Autumnalis Rosea’ is als unwind like watch springs on bright, similar but has semidouble pale pink flow- warm days in late winter. ers. While ’Arnold Promise’ tends to flower in In the Washington, D.C., area, Pieris late February it is typically preceded by H. japonica and its various cultivars frequently mollis, the Chinese witch hazel. This show flower-bud color starting in late Feb- species has golden yellow flowers with pet- ruary (late March and early April in the als that are open and flat, not crinkled like North). The diminutive evergreen shrub those of ’Arnold * Promise’. Sarcococca humilis can almost always be One of the best of the red-flowered witch relied upon to scent the air at the same sea- >5 5

son, although its flowers are hidden below the foliage. The heaths, Erica herbacea /E. carnea) and its numerous cultivars, offer exciting pos- sibilities for the winter garden. They seem to grow best in sandy, peaty soil where sum- mers are not too hot. Heaths are available in a number of flower colors and forms. Most are low growing, less than 1 foot in height, and can flower any time between October and April in the Washington area. In the North the flowering time is later (February or March). Their flowers are extremely cold-tolerant. Many trees and shrubs carry ornamental fruits from autumn well into winter or spring. Fruit color can range from red to orange, yellow, white, purple, or blue. Or- namental fruits can be a rich addition to the The pear-shaped fruits of Rosa omeiensis are garden and provide a longer season of inter- bright red and are borne on yellow stalks. est than ephemeral flowers. Al Bussewitz photo. The rose family provides a number of winter-interest plants with ornamental tumn and early winter; however, C. micro- fruits. Locally, the hawthorn Crataegus vir- phyllus usually retains its fruits for a long idis ’Winter King’ is an ideal winter plant, as period, from fall to spring. each year it is heavily laden with shiny, Many of the species roses have persistent bright red fruits that remain until spring. It red fruits, but the small red fruits of Rosa is especially attractive when viewed against multiflora andR. virginiana are outstanding blue winter skies. throughout the fall and winter. The omei From the Gulf Coast comes C. brachya- rose (R. omeiensis) is an attractive winter cantha, a hawthorn with bright blue fruits garden plant on account of its showy, large covered with a waxy bloom. This plant is es- red prickles, which are translucent in the pecially noteworthy in that intense shades winter sun, and its red pear-shaped fruits of blue are very rare in fruits of hardy trees. borne on yellow stalks. C. x lavallei has very durable and attractive The viburnums are well-known shrubs or fruits of a pleasing orange-red color, persist- small trees of multiseason interest. Most or- ing all winter. namental species have red or black fruits, Cotoneasters, as a group, have conspicu- which are at their best in late summer or ous and lasting red fruits. There are many fall. Viburnums with especially long-lasting from which to choose, including both de- fruit displays include the linden viburnum ciduous and evergreen forms. Most have (V. dilatatum), which has bright red fruits, fruits that make an effective display in au- and its yellow-fruited form xanthocarpum. 6

rhamnoides) with orange fruits studding the branches much of the winter. Birds feed on the fruits of many trees and shrubs, lessen- ing their effectiveness, but the fruits of sea buckthorn are very acidic and tend to be a food choice of last resort. White fruits are produced by a few shrubs such as Nandina domestica f. alba, * the snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus/, and * Skimmia japonica f. leucocarpa. These are most effective in autumn and early winter. While the quality of winter flowers and fruits can vary considerably from year to year, plants selected for the color or form of Viburnum dilatatum xanthocarpum their bark and stems are more reliable. Drawing by Emily Osman. One of our native hawthorns, Crataegus spathulata, the little-hip hawthorn, has small, bright red fruits and bark that ex- V. dilatatum ’Erie’, developed by the Na- foliates in irregular patches like that of Par- tional Arboretum, is noteworthy for the rotia persica, revealing areas on the trunk quantity, quality, and longevity of its fruit and branches colored cinnamon-red, silver- display. Viburnum opulus, with red fruits, and its formxanthocarpum, with golden yellow fruits, remains handsome from late Hippophae rhamnoides until March. summer Drawing by Emily Osman. Perhaps no plants are more readily asso- ciated with winter than the hollies. Many, such as the American and English hollies, have evergreen foliage and red fruits throughout the fall and winter. Both the American and English species have given rise to yellow-fruited forms as well. Among the deciduous hollies, one newcomer, Ilex ’Sparkleberry’ from the National Ar- boretum, merits considerable attention as a plant for the winter garden. Each year it pro- duces a heavy crop of very bright red fruits, which seem almost to glow. So bright are the fruits that they stand out in the winter land- scape from a distance of 50 yards or more. Other plants producing attractive fruits include the sea buckthorn (Hippophae 7

gray, tan, and green. The overall effect is that white bark of considerable ornamental of a small open-crowned tree with reddish merit. In the wild B. platyphylla may attain bark. Native from Virginia to Texas, C. a height of 75 to 85 feet. spathulata is probably hardy in gardens The Hillier Arboretum, in Hampshire, En- * where minimum winter temperatures do gland, grows a clone of B. jacquemontii not drop below -5°F. C. marshallii, the with spectacular pure, shining white bark of parsley hawthorn, also native to the south- unmatched beauty. Apparently this clone ern United States, has bark that is very simi- has not been given a cultivar name, nor has lar to that of C. spathulata and would make it been widely introduced into the United an equally attractive tree for the winter gar- States. B. jacquemontii is occasionally den. available from American nurseries, but the Birches need no introduction as plants of bark color is apt to depart from the dazzling special and enduring winter interest. Most white of the Hillier Arboretum clone to species are native to the more northerly shades of ochre, brown, and pink and various latitudes, where they are important compo- combinations of these colors. B. jacquemon- is nents of both the natural landscape and gar- tii is native to the Western Himalayas and dens. In recent years considerable attention closely related to B. utilis. has been focused on several of the Asiatic Another Asian birch for the winter garden, Betula species. There is evidence that Asian B. albo-sinensis, is highly prized in England, birch species such as Betula albo-sinensis and its merits are slowly becoming recog- andB. platyphylla and their varieties may nized here. It was introduced by E. H. Wilson offer resistance to bronze birch borer, a seri- in 1901 from Western China, and he de- ous and destructive pest of ornamental scribed the bark as "bright orange to orange- American and European birches, especially red, peeling off in very thin sheets, each suc- B. papyrifera and B. pendula. This insect is cessive sheet covered with white glaucous particularly troublesome in the Middle At- bloom." Several years later British horticul- lantic States, where it is one of the principal turist C. Coltiman-Rogers praised B. albo- factors limiting the successful culture of sinensis, saying, "Its orange peeling papery several white-barked birches. bark, shining like burnished copper, leaves For winter gardens in areas where bronze behind it a creamy, glaucous bloom that birch borers are a problem, the use of resis- puts one in mind of a similar effect obtained " tant species might be a solution. B. from that rare maple Acer griseum. platyphylla, from China and Korea, the The variety B. albo-sinensis var. septen- Japanese white birch, B. platyphylla var. trionalis, also a Wilson introduction, has japonica, andB. platyphylla var. bark suffused with orange, yellow, and gray. szechuanica, from Western China, offer The species and its variety are reputed to be considerable promise and are becoming in- resistant to bronze birch borer. creasingly available in American nurseries. The paperbark maple (Acergriseum) rates B. platyphylla and its varieties occur as one of the premier small ornamental trees naturally over a wide area in Asia, and bark for any season but is especially attractive in coloration varies. However, for the most part winter. The outer bark curls and peels away these trees have attractive white or chalk- in strips much like the canoe or paper birch 8

characterized by having smooth green bark with longitudinal streaks of white. Several species of maples give the "snakebark" ef- fect. Among the most attractive are A. davidii, * A. grossii var. hersii, A. laxi- florum, * and A. pensylvanicum. All are small- to medium-sized trees, 30 to 50 feet in height. A. pensylvanicum ’Erythrocladum’ is a particularly valuable tree for winter interest. Besides having jade-green bark with white stripes, the wood produced the previous spring turns a brilliant scarlet-pink begin- ning about the time of the first frost. One of the more famous trees for bark col- oration is the coral-bark maple (A. pal- matum ’Senkaki’ or’Sangokaku’/. The young branches are coral-red throughout the winter. The best coloration is achieved where plants are situated in full sun and is especially attractive when there is snow on the ground. An excellent companion plant- ing is A. palmatum ’Aoyagi’, a Japanese maple with bright green branches of a color not matched by any other plant. Used to- gether, the two cultivars can create a stun- ning effect in the garden. Some of the shrubby dogwoods are among the most attractive plants displaying vari- The British horticulturist C. Coltimar-Rogers de- ously colored stems in winter, but they are scnbed the peeling bark of this birch ~Betula not for the faint of heart. Cultivars of both albosmensis as leaving behind "a creamy, glau- cous bloom."" Comus alba and C. sericea must be pruned hard (almost to the ground) early each spring to encourage strong, straight, and vigorous to reveal the cinnamon or fawn-colored bark shoots. Otherwise they will grow large and beneath. The bark peels off not only on the cease to produce colorful stems. trunk but on many of the smaller branches as well. A. griseum grows to about 45 feet and has trifolioate leaves. It is another E. H. Wilson introduction from Central China. The paper-bark maple ~Acergmseum~ is especially The "snakebark" maples strike quite a dif- attractive in winter. ferent note in the winter garden and are Richard E. Weaver, Jr photo. 9 10

C. alba var. sibirica has bright crimson- red stems to about four feet. It is frequently used in combination with C. sericea var. flaviramea, which has bright yellow to ochre-green stems. Black-purple to purple- brown winter stem coloration can be seen in C. alba var. kesselringii. The white willow (Salix alba) has yielded a number of cultivars with red or yellow stem coloration. As with the C. alba and C. sericea cultivars mentioned previously, the most intense stem colors develop as a result of annual pruning. S. alba f. chermesina has bright red winter stems while S. alba var. vitellina has yellow or orange-yellow twigs. A native American willow, S. irrorata, though rarely seen in gardens, is a very de- sirable plant for the winter garden, since it has purple stems overlaid with a chalk- white bloom. This shrub will grow to a height of 10 to 15 feet but is best pruned hard annually to encourage stem growth. A similar stem coloration, chalk-white over purple, can be found in some of the A Rubus species. These species are valued for brambles. Several brambles have these stem their stem coloration, purple overlaid with a colors, including Rubus bi florus * and R. white bloom. thibetanus, * but R. cockburnianus is per- haps the finest of the lot with its arching stems and fernlike foliage. regular strips. The color of the bark is unique Two cherries, Prunus maackii and P. ser- and perhaps the most beautiful among hardy rula, are conspicuous plants for winter gar- trees. dens. Indeed, they have little to offer except Among pines grown for ornamental bark bark characteristics. The paperbark cherry qualities the lacebark pine, Pinus bungeana, (P. serrula) has polished mahogany-red bark, ranks very high. This tree typically has which exfoliates in strips. It is especially at- smooth bark, which exfoliates to reveal an tractive when sited so that sunlight shines irregular mosaic in green, white, purple, yel- on the plant from behind the peeling and low, and brown. Native to China, this pine is curling bark strips. The floral display is weak often multistemmed. and the foliage is of no particular merit. The In Korea there are several lacebark pines Manchurian cherry (P. maackii) has yellow said to be 600 or more years old. These trees to gold-brown polished bark, peeling in ir- are remarkable in that they have very white 111

bark, a characteristic not seen in Western gardens, and they tend to produce a single trunk. There are several other trees with bark that attracts attention during the winter months. The beeches, both European and American, with their smooth gray bark, and the American hornbean, or "blue beech" (Carpinus caroliniana), which has gray bark with musclelike undulations, can add much to the winter garden setting. Similarly, the flaking or dappled bark of Comus kousa, Parrotia persica, Cydonia sinensis, ‘ and the plane trees, or sycamores (Platanus species), make their contributions to the garden in every season. or Plants having contorted twisted __ branches are particularly noticeable in winter. Among the shrubs displaying this characteristic is the corkscrew filbert or "Harry Lauder’s walking stick" (Corylus avellana var. contorta/. This shrub, growing to a height of 12 feet or more, has oddly twisted and curled stems and branches, and The contorted branches of the corkscrew filbert, or stick the male catkins are present throughout the Harry Lauder’s walking (Corylus avel- winter. In February the pendulous two-inch lana var. contorta), are most noticeable in winter. long catkins become yellow as they begin to shed pollen. During the growing season this plant is densely covered in coarse green be impressive in a winter garden when foliage; thus winter is its best season. viewed against the skyline, but as most wil- At least one California nursery is offering lows, it tends to be short lived, possesses a a contorted cultivar of hardy orange (Pon- formidable root system, and is subject to cirus trifoliata ’Flying Dragon’). Its branches various insects and diseases. grow in a sinuous zigzag fashion and are a A case can be made for almost any ever- rich olive green in winter, while its bright green plant as a candidate for winter inter- orange, golf-ball-sized fruits are handsome in est. Numerous dwarf and full-sized conifers autumn and early winter. and their allies are especially attractive in The corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana winter. The various bluish color forms of ’Tortuosa’) has an ascending growth habit Picea pungens, the gray and blue of with prominent twisted and contoured Juniperus cultivars, the yellow-foliaged branches, especially as a young plant. It can forms of Chamaecyparis, and the red bronze 12

of Cryptomeria japonica ’Elegans’ are only a few of many that can be selected for winter form, texture, habit, and color. Yews and camellias can be useful; however, modera- tion is called for as masses of plants with dark green foliage can be oppressive.

Bibliography

Allen, O. E. and the Editors of Time-Life Books. 1979. Winter Gardens. Time-Life, Alexandna, Virginia. Bowles, E. A. 1915. My Garden in Autumn and Winter. T. C. and E. C. Jack, London. Damell, A. W. 1926. Wmter Blossoms From the Out- door Garden. L. Reeve, London. Graff, M. M. 1966. Flowers in the Winter Garden. Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y. Haes, E. C. M. 1965. Winter Colour in the Garden. Pearson, London. Jefferson-Brown, M. J. 1957. The Winter Garden. Faber and Faber, London. Lawrence, E. 1961. Gardens in Winter. Harper & Brothers, New York. Lay, C. D. 1924. A Garden Book for Autumn and Winter. Duffield, New York. Nicholson, R. A. 1973. Colour in Your Winter Garden with Flowers, Fruits and Fohage. Douglas, David and Charles, Vancouver. Osbom, A. Ed. 1947. Wmter-Flowermg Plants for Out- door Borders. Ward, Lock, London. Schuler, S. 1972. The Wmter Garden. Macmillan, New York. Smith, M. 1966. The Winter Garden. Museum Press, London. Synge, P. M. 1974. Flowers and Colour in Winter. Michael Joseph, London. Thomas, G. S. 1967. Colour in the Winter Garden. Re- vised edition. Phoenix House, London. Ward, F. K. 1954. Berried Treasure: Shrubs for Autumn and Winter Colour in Your Garden. Ward, Lock, London. Whitehead, S. B. 1948. The Winter Garden. J. M. Dent, London. Wilson, H. van P. 1978. Winter Color for Your Wmter Yard and Garden. Scnbner’s, New York.

Carl R. Hahn is chief of horticulture at Maryland- National Capitol Park and Planning Commission, Silver Spring, Maryland. Evergreens for the Donald Wyman Retired Gardener’s Garden

When one moves into retirement, one must reduced to a minimum, especially when we make many adjustments in one’s style of liv- were away. Finally, they had to have a long ing. Having always been active, I never period of interest in the garden. The woody thought much about retirement, and in par- plants selected had to be appropriate as a ticular I never planned for the gardening as- background for other plants of seasonal pect of it. Growing plants, especially woody interest and still keep the garden alive and plants, had been my vocation as well as my green all winter. In fulfilling the latter re- avocation, and I had been deeply involved in quirement evergreens were the obvious it. Managing one of the world’s greatest ar- choice. boretums meant that I had plenty of space and, more importantly, plenty of help to do Donald Wyman, horticulturist emeritus of the the many things that had to be done. Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, in his garden. Suddenly, on entering retirement, I came Al Bussewitz face to face with two facts: space was very photo. limited in the garden of the small suburban home we settled into, and I had to do the work myself. What grand plans I might dream up would be limited to only a few hundred square feet. And while I enjoyed the work of gardening, I knew I would not al- ways be available to do it, as my wife and I planned to travel. Hence, the garden would often be left in the hands of well-meaning amateurs, no insurance that thriving plants will remain thriving! So there had to be a few general rules. First, to accommodate the small space, the woody plants selected had to be slow grow- ing or even dwarf. Second, they had to be disease free and msect free, so that they would need little attention when we were away from home. Third, they had to be drought resistant, so that watering could be 14

Japanese Holly are small and waxy white, similar to those of blueberry, and arranged in 3’/z-inch drooping One of the evergreens I have admired for clusters along the arching stems on the many years is the box-leaved Japanese holly underside of the branches. It grows well in (Ilex crenata f. convexa/. This shrub, which semishade, where the foliage tends to re- is hardy to -5°F, has a dense, bushy habit main evergreen much longer. The autumn and lustrous deep green leaves similar to color is a rich bronze. A cultivar named those of the boxwood. It can grow 10 feet ’Nana’, which originated in England some tall but is easily sheared and can be used in years ago, produced a plant that was 23 hedges. It is very easy to care for and has no inches tall and 6 feet across at 30 years of serious pest problems or diseases. In New age. I do not know whether ’Nana’ is avail- England it should not be planted in areas able commercially in America or not. vulnerable to severe winter winds. In the Wayside Gardens of Hodges, South Carolina, winter of 1958-59 it was destroyed over a lists a hybrid (L. axillaris x L. fontanesiana) wide area in the northern United States, but named ’Scarletta’, which it claims grows no that was the first occurrence of such de- taller than 20 inches. The young growth is struction in half a century. During some very red. Cut branches of the drooping winters the two plants in front of our house leucothoe are splendid in flower arrange- (which has a southern exposure) exhibit a ments, and cutting the long arching few burned leaves, but as soon as the dead branches rejuvenates the plant, tending to branchlets are pruned off in the early spring, keep it lower in height and bushy. When the the plants quickly recover. This holly can plants grow too tall and get ragged at the also be pruned or sheared in other seasons. It base, it is best to prune them in early spring is an asset in any garden year-round and is to 6 inches above the ground, after which also attractive in flower arrangements. they will quickly return to fine form. Drooping Leucothoe The drooping leucothoe (Leucothoe fon- Mountain Laurel tanesiana, formerly L. catesbaei), which is native to the southeastern United States (al- The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a though hardy to -20°F), is another excellent familiar native American shrub that bears evergreen for the foundation planting. In the beautiful flowers in late May and June when North it may drop some of its leaves in allowed to grow at will. It is hardy to -20°F. winter, but in the south it is truly evergreen. When pruned to 4 feet tall, it does not bloom It may grow as much as 6 feet tall, but it can very much, but it maintains a dense mass of be restrained, and should be, with proper glossy evergreen leaves throughout the year. pruning. The glossy green leaves, which are In pruning, it is imperative that a few leaves about 7 inches long, are lance shaped and (and their buds) be left below the cut, even similar in size and shape to those of the on second-year growth. This requires careful mountain laurel. The young foliage in the attention, as the leaves are clustered to- spring is reddish, adding much to the orna- gether at the ends of the twigs and can easily mental character of the plant. The flowers be cut off entirely. 15

If this plant is pruned every year, as it is in our restricted foundation planting, it makes a splendid evergreen shrub. When it grows too tall or too wide, it can lose its attractive- ness, but pruning must wait until after flowering. Anyone interested in obtaining some of the dark pink to red flowering forms can do so at Weston Nurseries of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, which has been selecting and propagating these for years. However, we value the mountain laurel as a foliage plant only in our small garden, and as such it is outstanding every year.

Japanese Andromeda The Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica~ is another good choice for the retired gar- dener. It is a very popular plant, hardy to -10°F, and has been grown extensively in the eastern United States as well as the Pacific Northwest. Its leaves, about 31/2 The Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) in inches long and narrow at both ends, are a snow. lustrous green and bronze when they first Al Bussewitz photo. appear in the spring. The slightly pendulous branches are graceful, and the plant can reach 9 feet in height, although in the North smaller. ’Dorothy Wycoff’ has pink flower it is usually lower and with correct pruning buds and excellent purple-green winter can be kept within a limited area. The small foliage. ’Variegata’ produces leaves with a flowers, which appear in mid-April, are white margin around the edge. ’Flamingo’ waxy white and are borne in pendulous clus- has flowers that are true pink, while ters 5 inches long. The flower buds are prom- ’Whitecaps’ and ’White Cascade’ have flower inent from late summer to early spring, pro- clusters longer than those of the species. viding proof during the cold winter storms These and other cultivars are well worth that spring is bound to come. looking for in nursery catalogues. Several interesting variants of Japanese andromeda have been a few of which found, Mountain Andromeda are offered for sale by commercial growers. The cultivar ’Compacta’ is lower growing The native mountain andromeda (Pieris than the species itself and its leaves are floridunda~, which reaches 6 feet in height, is 16

A false cypress species, Chamaecyparis obtusa ’Gracihs Nana’, at the Arboretum. Richard E. Weaver, Jr. photo. andromeda can be grown in situations of full sun, whereas the Japanese seems to do better with some shade.

hardier than the slightly (to -20°F) Japanese Wilson Rhododendron andromeda and produces upright pyramidal clusters of small white flowers in mid-April. Although several low-growing evergreen C. S. Sargent considered this one of the best rhododendrons exist, the one I like best is of the broad-leaved evergreens, probably be- the Wilson rhododendron (Rhododendron x cause it grows in either sunlight or shade laetevirens, formerly R. x wilsonii and a and does not require acid soil. The leaves are cross betweenR. carolinianum andR. fer- a dull green, and the plant is dense and rugineum It is hardy to -20°F. It usually bushy. Unfortunately, this species has not grows to about 4 feet tall and has dark green produced pink flowering forms as yet, but an evergreen leaves about 31/2 inches long. Its excellent dwarf flowering cultivar exists small purplish pink flowers appear in early named’Millstream’, which originated on June. It is not impressive in comparison to Long Island over 10 years ago. I do not know the taller types with their huge, ornate whether it is available commercially yet or flower clusters, but it is pleasing as a dense, not. My plant is 11 years old, about a foot fairly low evergreen in a narrow shrub bor- tall, and nearly 4 feet across. The mountain der. Erratum

Please note that the order of the cap- tions with the photographs on pages 16, 17, and 19 is incorrect. Pieris floribunda ’Milstream’ is on page 16; Chamaecyparis obtusa ’Gracilis Nana’ is on page 17; and Tsuga canadensis f. pendula is on page 19.

177

False Cypress must be pruned to keep the plant in proper form. The Chamaecyparis species, especially Another variety of C. obtusa is ’Gracilis are the most Chamaecyparis pisifera, among Nana’, which normally grows about 6 feet variable of the small-leaved conifers. They tall and is readily available in nurseries. are to -30°F. Several varieties exist hardy This, too, is an excellent foundation ever- and some are dwarf and slow The growing. green, dense and bushy. Unfortunately, it is nomenclature is and one very confusing sometimes labeled f. nana or f. compacta. cannot be certain of a desired obtaining The true ’Nana’ at 90 years of age reaches dwarf variety merely by selecting a name in only about 3 feet in height and is probably a It is far better to see the nursery catalogue. too slow growing to be of value in an ever- plant before purchase. changing foundation planting. Since the Chaemaecyparis pisifera f. filifera, or the nomenclature of slow-growing plants like thread is a tree and the retinospora, type, these is confusing, one must select carefully. cultivar C. ’Filifera Aurea’ is much pisifera All are excellent ornamentals and will keep slower and sometimes growing dwarf, espe- small gardens green in winter. cially when propagated from the slower- growing sideshoots. The foliage of this vari- Sargent’s weeping hemlock (Tsuga canadensis f. ety is yellowish, especially when grown in pendula) at the Arboretum. the full sun, but if left unpruned over a long Richard E. Weaver, Jr. photo. period it can grow 8 feet tall in 30 years. C. pisifera ‘Filifera Nana’ is another dense, rounded, flat-topped little bush that is slow in growth. Here again, pruning will help to keep the plants under 3 to 4 feet high and is necessary if they are used in foundation plantings. They will grow in sun or shade and when properly pruned will maintain rounded masses of evergreen foliage throughout the year. Another member of the Chamaecyparis clan is C. obtusa f. gracilis, Hinoki false cy- press, a dense, slow-growing evergreen with dark green foliage that can grow 9 feet tall or taller if not properly restrained. Its flat foliage, somewhat similar to that of arbor- vitae, retains its dark green color all winter long, which is something that cannot be said of the native American arborvitae varieties. This slender shrub, introduced from Japan in 1862, is a longtime garden favorite, but occa- sionally it sends out wayward branches that 188

Junipers horizontalis ’Wiltonii’, with its long creep- ing branches and beautiful silvery green Several of the low-growing junipers are foliage. (Its imaginative cultivar names are worth considering for small spaces. They are ’Blue Rug’ or’Wilton Carpet’.) It was found easily obtainable at almost any time of year in 1914 on the island of Vinal Haven in because they are frequently grown in con- Maine by J. C. van Heiningen of the Wilton tainers, but here again the nomenclature is Nurseries, South Wilton, Connecticut. It often unclear. My favorites are Juniperus should be remembered, though, that to be ef- procumbens, which is hardy to -10°F, and fective, this plant must have space to display its cultivar ’Nana’ and J. horizontalis ’Wil- its graceful, trailing branches. tonii’ (hardy to -50°F), ground covers that stay flat on the if allowed to ground elongate Yews in a normal way. Although the Japanese garden juniper The yews are among the more serviceable ~J. procumbens) was brought to Europe from evergreens for winter display, and in the Japan in 1843, it was not grown in American North the Japanese yews are tops. Many gardens until the turn of the century. varieties are available and all are vigorous Termed both f. chinensis ’Procumbens’ and easily grown, maintaining splendid dark (Hortus III) and j. procumbens (den Ouden green foliage throughout the year. Actually, in Manual of Cultivated Conifers), it is a the Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata), which dwarf shrub, mounded in habit, with bluish is hardy to -20°F, is a tree that reaches 50 green needles. Not over 2 feet tall, it is much feet or more in height, but there are forms slower growing than/. horizontalis and its that are lower, one of the best for the small varieties. The old-fashioned favorite, J. garden being T. cuspidata f. densa or cush- horizontalis ’Plumosa’, is a vigorous ion Japanese yew. One 50-year-old densa spreader and has become very popular for specimen growing in the Arnold Arboretum that purpose, but J. procumbens is the plant is 4 feet tall, yet 20 feet across. to use where space is limited. All the yews are easily pruned and with- Even better in the small garden is a gem of stand shearing easily; thus they are very ap- a plant called J. procumbens ’Nana’, which propriate for small spaces. This form is espe- forms a compact mound of bluish green cially suited for the small garden because of foliage, with short branches, one on top of its low, rounded habit of growth. The branch- another, creating a shelving effect. It has lets on the sides of the main stems are been noted that if the roots are cut from time short and compact, giving an appearance of to time, the plant will not expand in the density. If one wants to reduce the amount usual manner of the species. The foliage of of pruning to be done, the cushion Japanese this dwarf Japanese garden juniper turns an yew is a good choice, because it will main- interesting purplish color in winter. It was tain its low-growing habit with minimum originally obtained from Japan by the D. Hill attention. Nursery of Dundee, Illinois, about 1922. If the densa is not available, one can main- Where enough space is available, one of tain a Japanese yew at almost any height or the best of the ground-covering junipers is J. shape with frequent pruning. We have one in 19

our foundation planting. It requires pruning or shearing several times a year because it is not a slow-growing type, but we want to keep the plant as a dense pyramid of dark green foliage about 5 feet tall. If allowed to grow taller by missing one of those prunings, it must be drastically cut back the next time, which unfortunately results in an unattrac- tive plant for several months. The dwarf Japanese yew (T. cuspidata f. nana) is a slow grower, becoming 10 feet tall and 20 feet across in 40 years of uninter- rupted growth. However, even this plant eventually becomes too tall for the small garden and must be pruned to keep it within the proper scale.

Canada Hemlock

For northern gardens probably the most serviceable of all the evergreens is the native Pieris floribunda ’Millstream’, a dwarf flowering Canada hemlock which cultivar of the native mountain andromeda, at (Tsuga canadensis), the Arboretum. is hardy to -20°F. The species is a standard Richard E. Weaver, Jr. photo. tree reaching 150 feet or more in height. The Sargent’s weeping hemlock (T. canadensis f. ~ pendula is an especially interesting variant and is only one of many dwarf forms avail- 1870, it has been a longtime favorite of gar- able from nurseries. It is low and flat on top deners and graces many a garden with its with graceful pendulous side branches, an beautiful drooping habit. Like that of other elegant specimen when allowed to grow un- hemlocks, the foliage is always dark green, hindered. It may reach 15 feet or more in and if given the space to expand it always height and twice that in breadth, but it can looks well. It almost seems a crime to reduce be sheared or pruned heavily and still main- this plant to a growing space of 16 square tain a reasonably good shape at 4 feet in feet, but if that is all the space available the height. ruthless pruning job must be done, and it is There are many varieties of the Canada best done in the very early spring, certainly hemlock, some lower than the Sargent’s not during the summer months. It regrows weeping hemlock, but we have found in our quickly and if left in place (ours has been in small garden that this one can be kept nine years) soon reacquires a normal droop- within our strict limits on height and ing habit. I have seen a 50-year-old hedge of breadth. Found in the Hudson Valley about Canada hemlock only 4 feet tall and 4 feet 20

thick making a fine dense planting and prov- ing that the species can produce good growth with heavy pruning. Even though 6 to 10 in- ches of growth must be removed in the prun- ing operation, I think it is well to include this beautiful evergreen in a small planting. It should be pointed out that when grown this way it must be severely pruned in order to keep it in scale with the rest of the plant- ing. These are, in fact, good evergreens for any garden, and when given proper pruning at the right time, they can perform very well in the small garden. Some evergreens do not take kindly to winter, but in our experience these do. They will keep the garden alive through the long, dreary months of winter and provide excellent foliage contrast for the colorful flowers of spring and summer. Augustine Henry and the E. Charles Nelson Exploration of the Chinese Flora

The plant-collector’s job is to uncover the hidden studies as rapidly as he could, obtained his beauties of the world, so that others may share medical qualifications, passed the Chinese his joy .... Customs Service examinations, for which he

- Frank From China to Hkamti Kingdon Ward, had acquired a working knowledge of Long Chinese, and left for China in the autumn of Although he is generally believed to have 1881. been born in Ireland, Augustine Henry was Henry remained in the customs service born in Dundee, Scotland, on July 2, 1857. until the end of 1900, during which time he His father, Bernard, was a native of County made considerable collections of the native Derry in the North of Ireland, and his Chinese flora. Ernest Wilson is reported to

- mother was a local girl, Mary MacNamee. have said that "no one in any age has con- She met Bernard Henry while he was visit- tributed more to the knowledge of Chinese ing his married sister, who lived in Dundee. plants than this scholarly Irishman," and in After their marriage, and shortly after Au- Bernard and re- gustine’s birth, Mary Henry The portrait of Augustine Henry in this photo- turned to Ireland with their son and settled graph hangs in the National Botanic Gardens in in Cookstown in County Tyrone. Bernard Dublin, Ireland. It was pamted by Celia Harrison. owned a grocery shop in the town and also bought and sold flax. Austin, as Augustine was called, went to Cookstown Academy. He was a brilliant scholar and eventually gained a place in the Queen’s College, Galway, where he studied natural science and philosophy; he grad- uated in 1877 at the age of 20 with a first- class degree. In the following year he ob- tained a Master of Arts degree at the Queen’s College in Belfast. After that he spent a year in London studying medicine in one of the teaching hospitals. During a visit to Belfast about 1879 he met Sir Robert Hart, who re- cruited him for the Imperial Maritime Cus- toms Service in China. Henry completed his 22E

1929 the second fascicle of Icones Plan- March 1882 he was assigned to Yichang tarum Sinicarum was published in Beijing ("Ichang" in Henry’s correspondence), a port (Peking) with the following dedication: on the Yangtze River, about a thousand miles near the borders of Hubei and Augustine Henry through whose assiduous bo- inland, tanical exploration of Central and South-Westem Sichuan provinces. There he served as the China the knowledge of our flora has been greatly assistant medical officer and also performed extended. customs duties. For a while he spent his lei- sure time on shooting trips in the nearby Other botanists shared these al- opinions, countryside, but he was a poor shot and in Arthur Grove commented that though 1884 he began to pursue less mobile crea- Henry "was more concerned in botanical tures : plants. exploration than in horticultural exploita- In his diary he recorded his first botanical and more of a tion, thought getting specimen excursion on November 25, 1884, when he to Kew than of the seeds safely getting crossed the river at Yichang and collected which enable the to might particular plant some plants near the village of Shiliujing. be raised" for in cultivation the British Isles. On March 20, 1885, he wrote to the director But that is an unfair comment. was Henry of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, saying not oblivious to horticultural but potential, that a number of medicinal plants were cul- because he was occupied by his work at the tivated around Yichang. He reported that customs office he could in engage the task of "there seem to be a fair number of interest- and seed in his plant hunting collecting only ing plants; and as this part of China is not free time. Seed and still a collecting was, is, very well known to botanists interesting two visits to time-consuming task, requiring specimens might be obtained." Henry con- a one to collect the in flower habitat, plant fessed that he knew very little of botany, but for identification and a second to obtain ripe he offered to collect specimens and send seeds. first letter to Kew accom- Henry’s them to Kew "if you think they would prove panied seeds of the lacquer tree (Rhus ver- useful." niciflua) and in the next few years he sent About the same time he wrote to a Dr. other seeds, including Camellia euryoides, Wales regarding botanical work. His letter Rosa Buddleia and a lin- banksiae, davidii, was passed on to Henry Hance (1827-1886), den in (Tilia tuan). On leaving Yichang who was one of the leading experts on the March 1889 he brought with him bulbs of an Chinese flora at that time as well as British which he to orange-flowered lily, gave vice-consul in Canton. Hance replied on Charles who forwarded some to Ford, Kew; April 1, 1881, suggesting some useful books this was the Henry lily (Lilium henryi1, and recommending that "in order to work at which is cultivated in widely gardens today so novel and comparatively unknown a flora has the of a lime-toler- (and advantage being in a tolerably satisfactory manner, a student ant species).

Henry in China For the first few months of his time in The Henry honeysuckle (Lonicera henryi)./. China, Henry was stationed in Shanghai. In Drawing by Michael Grassi. . 23 24 ~-,

ought to have a fairly good herbarium and a straints. He had to be single minded and col- very considerable library, with all the impor- lect seeds and bulbs of plants that would be tant systematic monographs and memoirs profitable for his employer. Maries did make on families & genera." He suggested to some notable discoveries at Yichang, includ- Henry that "any person with a love of ing the Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis botany can do invaluable service even by mollis which was raised from his seed by collecting, whilst both leisure and want of Veitch but grew unrecognized in the London pecuniary means may render it impossible nursery for almost 20 years. for him to attempt to attack the study" on a Another person who collected at Yichang large scale. before Henry was Thomas Watters, by coin- The value of that advice to Henry may be cidence also Irish. The coincidence is more gauged by the fact that the letter in which it remarkable in that Watters was the brother was written and a second one containing a of Augustine Henry’s sweetheart, Harriet recipe for an insect repellent to preserve her- Watters. Harriet turned down Henry’s pro- barium specimens are the only letters that posal of marriage but corresponded with him survive among Augustine Henry’s papers for many years while he was in China. from his first tour of duty in China. Not Thomas Watters was a scholar with a special even the reply of Sir Joseph Hooker, director interest in Chinese Buddhism, and he was a of Kew, survives from the voluminous corre- member of the British consular service in spondence that Henry conducted with China from 1863 until 1894. In 1878 he was botanists after 1885. appointed acting consul in Yichang and dur- Having been advised by Hance, and un- ing his free time collected herbarium speci- doubtedly encouraged by Hooker, Henry mens for Hance. Watters also responded to a began to collect assiduously and thereby "to request made by the authorities at Kew for open the treasure chest of the Chinese materials on economic botany; at Yichang flora."" he discovered the service viburnum (Vibur- Other botanists, amateur and professional, num utile/, which was used for making had collected at Yichang before, but because pipestems. His other notable find was the they were eclipsed by Augustine Henry, Chinese primrose (Primula sinensis). Wat- their work is little known and their collec- ters sent some living plants to Charles Ford tions do not seem to amount to much. at the botanical garden in Hong Kong, but Charles Maries (c. 1851-1902) was sent to does not seem to have sent seeds or living China by James Veitch, the famous London plants to the British Isles. It is said that Wat- nurseryman, in 1879. According to Veitch he ters and Henry met in China, but no docu- lacked staying power and did not get on well ments describing such a meeting exist. with the Chinese, who resented his Augustine Henry, therefore, was in vir- "difficile" nature and destroyed his collec- tually unexplored territory. It was an area of tions. Thus Maries returned to England with outstanding botanical riches, "the Klondike very few plants. Unlike Henry, Maries was of plant gold." Between November 1884 and on a commercial expedition; he was not a February 1889 Henry discovered about 50U leisured explorer without deadlines or con- species new to Western scientists, about 25 25

new genera, and one plant, Trapella sinensis, there was nothing in them suitable for you that is now in a family by itself, the to plant. I must get you something soon." A Trapellaceae. He made use of native collec- few weeks later, as promised, Augustine tors, whom he trained to bring dried speci- Henry sent a "box containing 3 kinds of or- mens to him, although they were not as chids (I haven’t seen the flowers) procured productive as Henry wished. He combined on ... trees at 7000 [feet]. If they arrive via- the collection of herbarium specimens with ble and plantable, please take half of each studies of ethnobotany and recorded the kind and send the other half" to Bulley. vernacular names and uses of plants, espe- Henry said that the orchids should grow in cially those used in Chinese folk medicines. England, advising Miss Gleeson not to Indeed, his interest in botany was aroused by "throw them away: but try them, as they the difficulties of reconciling European sci- have astonishing vitality. Consult some one entific names and the many vernacular who knows: and give me suggestions if nec- names for Chinese medicinal plants. essary re collecting & sending similar or- On June 20, 1891, during home leave, chids."" Henry married Caroline Orridge, the daugh- Henry sent additional batches of seeds to ter of a London jeweler, and returned to Kew. In one letter to Evelyn Gleeson on De- China later that year. In November 1896, cember 21, 1898, he wrote that he had sent while stationed in southern China at Mengsi William Thistleton-Dyer, Hooker’s succes- ("Mengtze" or "Mengtse" in Henry’s letters), sor as director of Kew, "a lot of seeds: and he he wrote to Evelyn Gleeson, a friend from gave them to the girl gardeners to grow: and his student days in Galway, saying that he these dears succeeded in raising 45 kinds (al- had received "very enthusiastic letters from ready) including 6 species of Begonia & some a Liverpool merchant," Arthur K. Bulley. other beautiful plants as a new species of Henry promised to send him seeds but Rogersia, ... also Rhododendrons (3 or 4)." commented to Evelyn Gleeson that These seedlings had perhaps a better chance of surviving than the orchids sent to Miss the difficulty is in selecting. I like plants with Gleeson, yet the number of plants said to beautiful foliage and neat little flowers. I don’t have been introduced is care for colour much. I thmk chrysanthemums by Henry generally are positively ugly on account of their wretched considered to be small. leaves. The Rose is an exception: it is wonder- While his introductions may be few, Au- beautiful in As for fully every way. Geraniums, I gustine Henry’s discovery of new species can’t understand them. really any one liking and his botanical work in poorly known Ferns of all kinds please me. They are simply areas was W. marvellous here, especially the kinds that one significant. Botting Hemsley gets in the virgin forests. Their vanety of form is estimated that while in China - at Yichang, astonishing. on Hainan, in Taiwan, at Mengsi, and Simao - Henry and his native helpers acquired Despite his reservations and his own plea- over 15,800 collection numbers. As there sure in form, not color, Henry did collect were an average of 10 specimens in each seeds and also some epiphytic orchids. In there must have been a total of almost January 1897 he wrote to Evelyn Gleeson 160,000 herbarium specimens. Henry col- saying that he had sent seeds to Bulley "but lected probably over 5000 species between 26

1884 and 1900. His contribution to Chinese plant specimens. He soon tried to pass on his botany may be measured crudely by noting enthusiasm to others. the many species with the epithets augus- During his early years in China, Henry tinii orhenryi: Henrya augustinii, was learning and being guided. He returned Rhododendron augustinii, Emmenopterys to China in 1892 more confident and pre- henryi, andLonicerahenryi. Carolinella pared to encourage others. In 1893 he pub- henryi was named for his wife, Caroline. lished Notes on the Economic Botany of China, in the preface of which he wrote: Missionaries and others living in the interior are botanical contacts in China Henry’s often m a position to make enquiries concerning the natural productions of China, the results of One of Augustine Henry’s first contacts in which would be of great service to science. I in- China was Lord Kesteven (1851-1915), who tend to publish a few notes, pomting out the di- visited Yichang in April 1886 and probably rections in which such work might be done as re- accompanied Henry on a trip upstream gards articles derived from the vegetable kmg- for I thmk a idea that iss through the famous Yangtze gorge near the dom ; vague everything known, prevents many people from taking an city. Kesteven went with Henry many years interest in natural history. Scarcely anything is later on excursions to forests in France and known m regard to many points of economical sponsored his journey to the western United interest. If any one wishes to help, he will confer States in the early 1900s. He was one of the a great favour on the writer by sending him select group who received seeds from Augus- specimens of dried plants, drugs, woods, dyes, etc. These will be forwarded when neces- tine Henry during his first tour of duty, and specimens sary, to England, to have them dealt with by the it was him that introduced through Henry authorities at Kew. the sweetspire (Itea ilici folia into cultiva- tion in the British Isles. Henry continued with instructions on the No doubt Henry’s enthusiasm was stimu- preparation of herbarium specimens, which lated by the letters he received from Kew were almost word for word what Henry telling him of the significance of his discov- Hance had told him nearly nine years earlier eries and enclosing numerous articles and in the only letters he kept. papers containing descriptions of his plants. Henry did not confine his interests to eco- Unfortunately, none of these letters, written nomic botany, however, nor did he attempt by William Thistleton-Dyer, Daniel Oliver, to restrict the people he helped and encour- and William Hemsley, is extant, so it is not aged. In October 1892 he was assigned to possible to judge accurately how much Dakou on the island of Taiwan (Formosa); he Henry was inspired by them. During his had applied for the transfer in the hope that home leave in 1890, Henry certainly must the climate would suit his wife, who was in have been encouraged by his visit to Kew, failing health with tuberculosis. Caroline where he was greeted as a celebrity, the man Orridge Henry died two years later in Den- who had in 1886 sent "one of the most im- portant plant collections ever received from the centre of China" and who continued to The Henry lily (Lilium henry/.J . astound botanists with every new parcel of Drawing by Cynthia DeSando. 27 28

ver, Colorado, where she had gone because A few days later Henry provided Morse of the illness. with instructions about drying plants, not- On Taiwan Henry gathered information ing that he generally obtained six specimens for a flora of the island. In May 1893 he con- of each species. Later Henry advised him on tacted Hosea Ballou Morse (1855-1934), a employing native collectors. In August graduate of Harvard University and a com- Morse promised to collect for Henry. Henry missioner in the customs service who was agreed to pay a native collector $ 8 a month stationed at Tamsui. He reminded Morse and instructed that he should bring plants that he had sent specimens of wild hemp- into Tamsui twice a month if possible. skin cloth and the plant from which it was Morse’s assistance was acknowledged by manufactured to Shanghai the previous year; Augustine Henry in his published list of the plant had been identified as an Alpinia Taiwanese plants. The two men continued species. On May 15, 1893, Henry wrote that to correspond for many years, especially while Henry was in Mengsi. from letters received from Kew, asking for speci- Henry arrived in Mengsi late in June 1896 mens in flower, it appears that it is a new species and there met Pierre Bons D’Anty (1859-

... I should be much if you would kindly obhged 1916), who was the French consul in Simao cut off the flowers, put it m a bottle m spirits of (Ssemao or Szemao in Henry’s correspon- wine, and send to me.... I am domg my best here a in southwestern China near to get at the products of the vegetable kingdom dence), city and have a native ... collecting for me in the the border with Vietnam (then French In- mountams. dochina). Bons D’Anty was probably in Mengsi on business. They could not have In fact he had several for people working had much contact, for the consul left Mengsi of Mr. a him; under the guidance Schmuser, five days after their first meeting. These two "the chief lighthouse keeper, savage Capt- men had much in common; they shared an made a collection in the south of ing" large interest in Chinese literature, and Henry re- the island. On " June 6, 1893, Augustine garded Pierre Bons D’Anty as "very clever." to a letter from Hosea Morse Henry replied Their brief contact was enough for Henry to had mentioned the in which Morse prob- persuade him to collect plants at Simao. and lems of customs officials with plants Between August 1896 and November listed under Chmese names. plant products 1897, when Bons D’Anty left Simao, he cor- he could not tackle that for Henry said that responded with Henry and sent specimens. the present: On August 22, 1896, Bons D’Anty sent to Henry specimens of plants "found common One must remember that the framers of the tariff or between Mengsi and Simao; were ignorant of botany, textile fibres and such peculiar" each was and Bons like ... such work as identifying drugs, fibres, specimen numbered, dyes &c, can only be done very gradually and by D’Anty asked Henry to refer to the "same accumulation of specimens of the plants and in- number when telling me the identification formation at first hand. It also an ex- got requires that you arrive at." It is evident from this pert, one who knows Chinese and has an acquam- that Henry had become more than a collec- tance with common vulgar names in Chinese, he was now a botanist of with Chinese books &c, else the ordinary ob- tor ; capable naming server will be taken in. plants. Yet there were some species he could r 29

not identify, and these were sent to London. Longzhou in Guangxi province. On April 30, Over the following year Henry and Bons 1897, Henry informed William Thistleton- D’Anty corresponded about conifers, tea, Dyer that he had and vernacular names. Chinese received from Morse ... some 400 species. Some In June 1897 Pierre Bons D’Anty wrote are quite interesting. He sent me Tournefortia that sarmentosa, which is hitherto known only as an oceamc plant.... He also sends me Dolichan- drone which I found on the Red for nearly two months I have not been out of my cauda-fehna, River. Its are the most comic of office and I was busy till the middle of every pods fruits; long tall of some ammal would be near it. mght. I hope you will excuse me. I thought of prehistoric to but I couldn’t find a minute to do writing you Earlier in the year he had written to Hosea so.... I have some 250 or 300 some specimens, Morse saying that Professor Charles Sargent very cunous, collected during my trip in the Lip- of the Arnold Arboretum had written sing [?]. I am going to pack them all right and send asking them to you as soon as possible. for seeds of "mountain shrubs and trees. Perhaps you could co-operate if you get off at all to the mountains." his He sent Henry a photograph of a palm that Henry expressed for Morse’s assistance with the was very common in the Lipsing area; "it is gratitude Taiwanese flora: "I am to seen around every pagoda and the leaves are very grateful you for for me: and can send used to make paper with, or rather they are your collecting you I will have used as paper, being cut into long stripes at your convenience. expect you [sic].",, quite a lot of novelties. Every place in China has and often are the commonest As he could not make herbarium some; they speci- " of the - mens of the huge leaves, Bons D’Anty plants locality." thought the best way to convey the informa- tion was by photographing the plant. He re- marked that the Chinese called the palm Henry and Bulley Mieni chou. In a subsequent letter Bons D’Anty showed that he had some botanical It was while in Mengsi that Augustine expertise himself, by saying that the palm Henry began his correspondence with the was not a species of Chamaerops, Livistona, Liverpool merchant Arthur K. Bulley Arenga, or Borassus. Henry sent the photo- (1861-1942). Bulley, the founder of Bees graph to Kew and the palm was identified as Nursery, was an insatiable horticulturist "probably Trachycarpus sp." In all, Pierre with a passion for introducing new plants Bons D’Anty sent Henry about 500 speci- into the British Isles. He had tried contacting mens before he left Simao. These were in- missionaries in China to request seeds, a corporated into Henry’s collections and sent practice that was becoming common at that to Kew. They gave Henry a good preliminary time among institutions and enthusiastic knowledge of the flora of that region, where gardeners in Europe. However, Bulley was he was to be sent in 1898. far from content with the seeds he received; While corresponding with Bons D’Anty in his garden "could quickly claim to possess Simao, Henry remained in contact with the best international collection of dande- Hosea Morse, who had been transferred to lions to be seen anywhere."" 30

Bulley first wrote to Henry in 1896 and re- sell plants and I cant afford the expense quested seeds, which Henry sent. In a letter without selling. Given prosperity I’ll go my- to Evelyn Gleeson written in June 1897, self some day." His nursery business did Henry said that "I don’t know [Bulley], but prosper, but Bulley never visited China. In- he wrote to me for seeds .... He is an en- stead he employed his own collectors or as- thusiast. I have a weakness for enthusiasts, sisted in financing plant-collecting expedi- cranks and the like." A fortnight later, he tions. In 1904 George Forrest ( 1873-1932) remarked in another letter to Miss Gleeson went to China for the first time, as Bulley’s that "Mr. Bulley seemed satisfied with the collector. He returned in 1910, sponsored by seeds I sent him and wrote me a letter full of another English gardener, J. C. Williams flattery and appreciation."" (1861-1939), and Arthur Bulley. In 1911, Unlike the missionaries, Henry seemed to financed by Bulley, Frank Kingdon Ward be able to travel anywhere and collect (1885-1958) made his first plant-collecting worthwhile plants. On March 30, 1897, trip; it was not remarkably productive and Henri Correvon of Geneva sent a letter in probably displeased Bulley. Although Ward idiosyncratic English to Bulley seeking as- made several other expeditions, Bulley did sistance : not commission them. In 1913 Bulley en- Roland to collect "I allways wishes to hear that somebody would gaged Cooper (1890-1962) ter- go [to Yunnan]. But Franchet says that only the in Sikkim, but their contract was soon Jesuits - those who take the protestant church minated. Like Forrest and Ward, Cooper built at Madagascar by English missionaries - made other collecting trips in the Far East, alone, the awful Jesuits can go there. Is your but none under Bulley’s sponsorship. friend Henry the abbe Henry? - if so he will be able to get something as the people there is catholic. Franchet says even that they are very ’ much against protestants. Our protestant mis- Henry and Ernest Wilson sionaries are not far from Yunnan but Franchet in 1898 was trans- says they cannot go there they would be killed!!! Early Augustine Henry So that if you have a fnend there ask him for ferred from Mengsi to Simao. The journey seeds of Primula and Paeomes etc. etc." took 18 days by foot and mule. This customs post was the last new one to which Henry Although Henry sent seeds to Bulley from was assigned, and it was at Simao that one of Mengsi, the plants from this part of Yunnan the most significant events took place in his were subtropical species and were unlikely work of stimulating exploration of the to be hardy in England. Chinese flora. That event was the arrival of In 1901 Bulley and Henry met in England Ernest Wilson (1876-1930) in Simao with following Henry’s resignation from the these instructions from the Veitch nursery: Chinese Customs Service. Bulley was still The of the is to collect a keen’to get Chinese plants. In one undated object journey quantity of seeds of a plant the name of which is known to letter to he had stated that "there are Henry - us. This is the object do not dissipate time, few in the wide world I should things enjoy energy or money on anything else. In furtherance more than sending out a collector. But at of this you will first endeavor to visit Dr. Augus- present [about 1897] it’s impossible. I wont tine Henry and obtain precise data as to the 31

habitat of this particular plant and information at Mengsi asking for seeds. Henry sent this on the flora of central China in general. reply on June 3, 1897: With respect to seeds, I will do what I can, espe- These cryptic orders were the long- cially later on when I shall have less plant collect- awaited result of efforts Augustine Henry’s mg to do in our immediate neighbourhood. But it to have the seed of the beautiful dove tree really is a difficult matter collecting seeds - one (Davidia involucrata) collected and trans- arrives on the ground too early or too late. I tried ported to England for cultivation. e.g. to collect seeds of Gentiana serra and rhodantha common plants and failed to get a Those efforts in when began 1888, Henry single seed. You may ask why not employ a na- set out with his Chinese coolies and tive. Ah! you don’t know the Yunnanese - my Antwerp Pratt on a collecting trip that lasted muleteer who collects plants is the only man I three months and covered the area south- know who could or would do the work - and even he does only about [one-tenth] of what I west of Yichang. On May 17 near the village could do if I had his time. The other Chmese and of Mahuanggou Henry rode up a river valley aborigines are too lazy for seed collecting .... The and saw "one of the he saw strangest sights fact is that if one has nothing else to do, one in China ... a solitary tree of Davidia in full might orgamze plans and people for carrying out blow ... waving its innumerable ghost hand- such work, but it is difficult for me as I have a deal to do. And I doubt if of kerchiefs." At the time he did not know the good yet many my specimens will be collected agam for 50 years: as I tree’s name, so he collected herbarium have put an amount of energy into parts of the In the autumn he specimens. following botanizing. The flowers of a certain Zanthoxyl- managed to send two of his trusted coolies to lum have cost me 3 visits to one spot and an ex- the tree, and they collected fruits, which penditure of 6 hours time. Money is not what is he sent with the herbarium specimens to wanted, but time, oceans of time. Nothing as- tonishes at home so much as the a Kew. The fruits and dried specimens reached people fact, real fact, that in countnes like China, you cannot London in 1889 and were examined by do everything with money. Patience is more val- Daniel Oliver. Oliver prepared drawings of uable. the fruits, which were the first seen by continued various other Western scientists, but he omitted to have Henry by discussing subjects, but before he posted the letter an- any seed sown. In April 1891 Oliver pub- other one arrived from Thistleton-Dyer ask- lished a description and illustration of the for seeds of a redbud tree fruits and commented that "Davidia is a ing specially (Cer- cis racemosa). Henry added to his letter: tree almost deserving a special mission to Western China with a view to its introduc- I never saw the tree but in one spot on the frontier. It is useless of me to tion to European gardens." That remark is so Hupeh-Szechwan write to Ichang as I know no one there now: but I similar to comments made years later by think you ought to make a strong effort to get the that it is hard not to conclude that he Henry Consul there to send one of the coolies who ac- had suggested this to Oliver when he visited compamed me on my trip to the locality, & pro- Kew during his home leave in 1890. cure not only seeds of the Cercis, but also of

Davidia .... Why Davidia is worth any amount of However, for a few years Davidia was for- money. I only saw one tree of it, but doubtless in William gotten. Then, April 1897, there are others in the district ... I assure you Thistleton-Dyer wrote to Augustine Henry that if I could do anything by writmg myself to the Ichang Consul, I would do it; I know the ways This letter marks the beginning of a new of people m outposts. You will draw them, if you period in Augustine Henry’s life in which he make the offer Davidia is wonderful. exciting. recognized the vast potential of the Chinese flora for European horticulture, yet ac- On before this May 21, receiving long reply, knowledged his own inadequacy. It is clear Thistleton-Dyer wrote to ask for more seeds, that these letters also provided William "the majority of them being from Ichang Thistleton-Dyer with much food for this con- plants." On receiving letter, Henry thought, and for several months Henry got sidered the list to sending Yichang himself, no further correspondence from Kew. Dur- but he decided that there was little of hope ing this period he was transferred to Simao. he anything resulting. On July 19, 1897, In 1898 he received a "very extensive letter" wrote a detailed letter to William long, from Thistleton-Dyer and in his reply on Thistleton-Dyer in which he set out the fol- June 8, 1898, Henry remarked that "I hope ideas: lowing you will try and get a young Cambridge or Oxford botanist to come to this part of the In regard to seed collecting it is not a question of world, do some naturalist [sic] work, and money, but of finding some one with the time on collect seeds and live plants for cultivation."" hand and the requisite intelligence and energy, In none of Augustine Henry’s subsequent and this is very difficult to find indeed. letters to William was the I would suggest, so great is the variety and Thistleton-Dyer beauty of the Chinese flora and so fit are the matter discussed further. plants for European climate, that an effort ought Thistleton-Dyer proposed an expedition to to be made to send out a small expedition - the Harry Veitch of Veitch’s nurseries, the com- funds e.g. being provided a syndicate of say, a by pany that had previously sent Charles horticulturist, a private gentleman or two, &c. I Maries to with so little success. estimate £1000 would cover the expenses for 2 Yichang Veitch asked to recom- years: and what I would recommend is that a man Thistleton-Dyer be selected, who has just finished his botamcal mend someone and in April 1899 Ernest studies at Cambridge University. I mean don’t Wilson set off for China. He traveled send a collector but a gentleman, a student, and through the United States, where he visited an enthusiast. could on a Suppose e.g. you ahght the Arnold Arboretum in Boston and met man like Willis of Ceylon was, just as he had Professor He reached finished his botanical course some years ago. The Sargent. Hong Kong locality I would suggest is the mountain range and then traveled to Hanoi, eventually separating Szechwan from Shensi or thereabouts reaching Laokoi. There were civil distur- - the expedition starting from Ichang in April bances in the Mengsi area just before Wilson and two seasons. covering arrived in southern China and he was forced In conclusion, I can see now that there were to remain at Laokoi. after a hundreds of interestmg plants which I might have Eventually, long he for Simao. knew noticed earlier m my plant collecting, if I had had delay, departed Henry the experience or gemus or the teaching. If you that Wilson was on his way; on September ever again come across a budding collector like 19, 1899, he wrote to Thistleton-Dyer saying what I was when we some began correspondence that "Mr. Wilson after a long delay at Laokoi years ago, please insist on him being more than a owing to the disturbance at Mengtse &c. is mere collector: and perhaps you will help to de- on his here and has reached and velop a naturalist. way Talang: will arrive in Ssemao on Sunday next. I will he found that Henry’s lone dove tree had give him all the help possible." been cut down. However, as Henry had pre- Ernest Wilson reached Simao as antici- dicted, Wilson found other trees in the area pated and for several weeks stayed with and collected seeds for his employers. These Henry. On October 9, in a letter to Evelyn eventually reached England, germinated, Gleeson, Augustine Henry remarked that and produced many of the Davidia trees seen in the British Isles Wilson’s suc- I have ... a guest of all the things in the world at today. Szemao, a Mr. Wilson, late a gardener at Kew, cess must have given Augustine Henry plea- who has been sent out by Veitch’s to collect sure, for although he had sent the first fruits or bulbs in China. plants rather their seeds and to Europe, none of the seeds had been sown, He has made his way here to consult with me on and the glory of raising the first seedling best way of procedure and concerning the in- to Maurice de Vilmorin in Paris. teresting country around Ichang and he will stay passed here 2 or 3 weeks. He is a self-made man, knows botany thoroughly, is young and will get on. Henry and Charles Sargent On the same day Henry wrote to Kew, not- In 1892 Charles Sargent was visiting Ja- ing that Wilson had reached Simao safely. pan, where he met James Herbert Veitch He offered the opinion that Wilson would (1868-1907), nephew of Harry Veitch. On "do, I think, as he seems very energetic, fond his return to Boston, Sargent suggested to of his botany .... He is also even-tempered Harry Veitch that his nephew go to China to and level-headed, the main thing for travel- collect seeds for the Arnold Arboretum and ing and working in China." Henry gave Wil- the family nursery. James’s uncle declined to son "on a half-page of a notebook ... a send him and Sargent abandoned the idea of sketch of a tract of country about the size of a Chinese collecting expedition until he New York State" on which he marked the began to correspond with Augustine Henry. place where he had found the single tree of Henry’s first letter to Charles Sargent is Davidia involucrata in 1888. He also pro- dated May 31, 1894. Like Kew, the Arnold vided Wilson with useful information and Arboretum wanted seeds, and Sargent had hints. In October Henry was instructed to asked Henry to collect. Augustine Henry ex- return to Mengsi to resume charge of the plained his position to Sargent in much the customs station there, so he and Wilson same way as he had earlier explained it to journeyed from Simao. At Mengsi they Thistleton-Dyer. But, like Thistleton-Dyer, parted, but they remained close friends for Sargent was persistent, and Henry had to the rest of their lives. Henry was pleased and reiterate in a letter written in September relieved. To Evelyn Gleeson he confided that 1897 that he found "seed collecting almost he "would be glad if [Wilson] will continue out of the question, as my time is so limited to carry on the work in China which has which I can spend in the forests." been on my shoulders for some years. There Shortly after arriving in Simao, Henry re- is so much of interest and of novelty." marked casually in an undated letter to Sar- Ernest Wilson traveled to Yichang and gent that "Yunnan is a splendid ground for then to the hamlet of Mahuanggou, where the anthropologist, ethnologist, zoologist, 34 ,

geologist: and I should very much like to see In the final paragraph Henry wrote: a trained set out to - we expedition explore It must not be forgotten that I am doing fairly who are on the spot are too busy with our good botanical work as I am situated, as my own ordinary duties to go in seriously for any private hobby. I have pondered over the matter a deal: and much as I should like to on such such studies." By autumn 1898 Sargent was good go an expedition, I must consider that I do not see also pestering Henry to send seeds from any way to accomplish such a wish. I am unavail- and on Novem- Yichang, Henry’s response able. My home leave is due at the end of 1900: ber 20 was the same as that to and I am lookmg forward to spending 1901 and Thistleton-Dyer: 1902 in Europe. I feel that by that time, i.e. end of 1900, I must have a change of climate and sur- There are American missionaries m Ichang and roundmgs for the benefit of my health, both phys- many other parts of China and you could get ical and mental. It may seem absurd: but it is very lists of them from the mission boards and appeal difficult to bear up with the isolation, fnendless- to them. A circular letter attract one or two might ness and monotony of a place such as this. out of the hundreds. Perhaps you don’t like the idea of begging in this way: but Mr Bulley of In another letter dated July 21, Henry re- Liverpool (whom you know, I think) has been peated his remarks and told Sargent that he somewhat successful m this direction. would require a considerable salary for such As Veitch and Wilson were negotiating an expedition and thus his "terms would be about the quest for Davidia, Sargent wrote prohibitive ... I could scarcely be expected to from in the to Henry proposing an expedition to China resign my position customs, unless I saw an I am with Henry as a member. He received the opening equally good. proposal early in May 1899 and replied that less loath to refuse, because I know that re- in the Customs I still do ser- "as the matter requires a considerable maining good amount of thinking about, I intend to write vice to botany." even not Sar- to you fully by our next courier." As he However, that did diminish promised, Henry replied in detail on May 9, gent’s hope of enlisting him, and their dis- again exactly as he had to Thistleton-Dyer. cussions continued. It lasted many more "As I consider enthusiasm in botany the months, probably due to delays in the mail chief quality needed in the man selected, I service, and was still continuing when Wil- reply to your question ’is there anyone I son arrived in Simao. On November 14, could recommend in China’ in the negative. 1899, after Wilson had left and Henry had re- The man can be found in the U. S. or in En- turned to Mengsi, Henry wrote to Sargent: "I gland. Indeed it might be better to send 2 thank you very much for the confidence you men." Clearly Sargent wanted Henry to be repose in me, and for the liberality of your his envoy, for on the following day Henry offer, and feel flattered by the high esteem wrote a confidential note to Sargent saying you have in my capacities. But I think it is that he could not see any way of obtaining best to decline definitely." leave from the customs service to go on an His long letter continued with remarks expedition, and that, in any case, the trou- about sending out a young collector. Sargent bled situation within China made such a re- thought the person should speak Chinese, quest from him to his superiors inopportune. but Henry said that this was not necessary, 35

remarking that he was "sure Mr. Wilson will of Foreign Seed and Plant Introductions. do excellent work, in the way of collecting Fairchild visited southern China in March seeds, bulbs, etc.... he is really at little dis- 1900, and according to his own account advantage on account of his ignorance of wrote to Henry for advice on collecting. Au- Chinese." Henry said that no interpreter was gustine Henry sent Fairchild his book on needed, that "an ordinary ’boy’ will do." In economic plants. Fairchild thought the book concluding his letter Henry provided Sargent was "splendid." At the end of his letter, with advice on choosing a collector, again Henry answered Fairchild’s query as to how commenting on Ernest Wilson’s suitability. he could procure seeds and plants from the interior of the What is wanted is a man with common-sense, China, by giving following tact and especially good temper - of course I advice: "Don’t waste money on postage- pre-suppose he is enthusiastic in botany and eager send a man." David Fairchild acknowledged to travel. You ought not to have the slightest that "this word of wisdom made a deep im- difficulty in findmg such a man. Of course, as in pression on me and had a great influence on Mr. Wilson’s case it would be a good thing if he my when I returned to the United could come and see me and learn a great many policy States. because of this advice I inau- wrinkles in that way. If Mr. Wilson were not em- Largely ployed by Veitch’s for seed collecting, I think he gurated an exploration of that vast country." would do very well - as he gets on well with the In 1903 David Fairchild visited London Chinese and is keen to do as much very collecting and called on Augustine Henry, who was as is possible. I trust you will succeed in finding working on his Chinese collections at Kew. such a man. In conclusion, I must again express He that should return to to you my best thanks for the kindness and liber- proposed Henry ality of your offer: so much esteemed by me, as China for the U.S. Department of Agricul- coming from you one of the most disting~.ushed of ture, but Henry declined. However, the two botanists. living men discussed the economic potential of This finally compelled Sargent to stop his Chinese plants and Fairchild departed more than ever to send to pursuit of Augustine Henry, but it was not determined explorers China. In under Fairchild’s direc- the last offer Henry was to decline. One year May 1905, later Henry left China for the last time - he tion, Frank Meyer ( 1875-1915) went there for the first time. he concentrated had lost "the zest of youth" and was "tired Although of China, mentally dead tired of it." How- on plants of economic value, he did intro- some into North ever, he was to retain great interest in its duce ornamental species American David Fairchild plants for the rest of his life, and he con- gardens. Later, sent Rock who made his tinued to encourage others to explore the Joseph (1884-1962), and vast country. name by introducing rhododendrons conifers. Henry began to talk about the great hor- Henry and David Fairchild ticultural potential of Chinese plants soon Before Augustine Henry left China, he re- after he returned to Europe. At a dinner of ceived a letter from David Fairchild ( 1869- the Horticultural Club on March 8, 1902, in 1954), a botanist in the U.S. Department of London he was the guest of honor. Sir Wil- Agriculture, who was in charge of the office liam Thistleton-Dyer proposed Dr. Henry’s 36f

health in "a capital speech which evoked So you have captured me at last. Twelve months ago I would not have believed it possible for any- considerable amusement by its quaint com- one to have persuaded me into revisiting China bination of official reserve and ap- dry genial on any terms. Since it has come to pass be it said of Dr. labours." Accord- preciation Henry’s that there is no person or institution I would ing to the Gardeners’ Chronicle, Augustine rather serve than yourself and the Arnold Ar- Henry’s speech was outstanding. He pointed boretum - Kew alone excepted. out that vast areas of China remained to be explored and yet stated that he had been the Augustine Henry was in the United States wrong person to undertake the task. He re- when he learnt of Wilson’s "capture" by Sar- marked that his education had not prepared gent. In fact Henry had been looking for a him for botanical work, "an extensive suitable position for Wilson and had found a knowledge of ancient Greece ... being of no possibility in Canada. He wrote to Wilson in aid to him whatever." He hoped that an ex- November from Washington: "I have just pedition under the auspices of the Royal come here from Boston ... I shall miss you: Horticultural Society could be fitted out for am sorry. I agree with Sargent that this ex- China, where it would find not only plants pedition is to be a great one. Success to you!" of great ornamental value but also "many His letter continued with recommenda- sorts of vegetables unknown to use, many tions on the cameras and photographic fruits, ... also unintroduced, and even plates that Wilson should take to China forage-grasses," which he considered worthy and also mentioned Schimper’s Plant Geog- of introduction. He noted that the climate of raphy, which Henry noted "will put you in much of China was such that its native way of describing floral regions and doing plants should be hardy in the British Isles ’Plant Society’ [i.e. ecology] work." He told and he cited "numerous species there exist- Wilson that he should take his own chemi- ing, Ribes, Rhododendrons, &c., which cals for developing plates and do his own would excel anything yet introduced." developing: "It saves time! and is necessary, else you will be carrying about spoiled and useless plates." Augustine Henry must have felt that the mantle of responsibility was Wilson, Sargent, and Henry now finally off his shoulders, and that a new Ernest Wilson returned to England in generation of collectors and explorers was April 1902 with his collection of seeds and bound for China. bulbs. So successful was his expedition that In later years Henry was still consulted in January 1903, Harry Veitch again sent by these collectors. For example, Reginald him to China. From this expedition Wilson Farrer (1880-1920), an English horticulturist returned in March 1906. In mid-April who sponsored his own expedition to west- Charles Sargent was in England and met ern China in 1913, was working with Wil- Wilson, whom he surprised by inviting him liam Purdom (1880-1921) in April 1914 at to return to China, this time for the Arnold Sining-Fu in Gansu province near the border Arboretum. After some negotiations Ernest with Xizang (Tibet). From there he wrote to Wilson agreed, and he wrote to Sargent: Henry saying that they hoped to return to 37

Beijing by way of the Yangtze valley. Farrer letter to Evelyn Gleeson. On returning to wanted to "see in situ and obtain ... Gen- England he decided to take up a career in tiana venosa and Primula nutantiflora." He forestry and went to study at the French asked Henry for full notes on where these School of Forestry at Nancy. However, he species could be found. Henry replied, and was soon invited by Henry J. Elwes (1846- Farrer later wrote from "The Valley of Rocks 1922) to work on a monograph on trees cul- and Wolves, Chinese Tibet" thanking him tivated in Ireland and Great Britain. Henry " for his "most lucid and valuable directions." left Nancy and set to work on the book; the Arthur Bulley also continued to consult first of its seven volumes appeared on No- Henry; in 1926 he wanted to obtain a species vember 14, 1906. Early in 1907 Augustine of Lithospermum, which had been collected Henry was approached to become reader in in Yunnan. However, Henry had never seen forestry at the University of Cambridge. He or collected the plant and could not help Bul- accepted and remained there until January ley in his quest. 1913, when he became the first professor of forestry in the Royal College of Science in Dublin. Henry did much to influence the fu- Conclusion ture course of forestry in Ireland and also carried out taxonomic research. On St. Pat- If had done no more than [Augustine Henry] rick’s 1908 married Alice Brun- make known the marvellous riches of China he Day Henry of Sir Richard a lead- would have achieved more than most men.... ton, daughter Brunton, died in Dublin Happily so many plants bear his name that while ing English physician. Henry trees and shrubs are cultivated his memory will on March 23, 1930. remam m every garden and arboretum for long The Western world is indebted to Augus- years to come. tine Henry for the many fine plants he - J. W. Besant, Gardeners’ Chromcle brought to the notice of botanists and hor- ticulturists here. While Arthur Grove was Augustine Henry found pleasure in correct in saying that many of Henry’s dis- botany, which he told Charles Sargent was coveries would remain as herbarium speci- his "private hobby." It helped him to bear mens, it is also true that Henry encouraged the monotonous daily toil of an officer in the others to go to China to collect the seeds and Chinese Maritime Customs Service. His bulbs that he was unable to obtain. It is a plant-hunting trips allowed him to forget the remarkable fact that most of the collectors loneliness of life far from his home and working in China at the beginning of this friends. He confided to Evelyn Gleeson on century were sent by persons who had corre- August 29, 1896, that "I positively enjoy sponded with or met Henry. Ernest Wilson myself in the wild luxury of beautiful air, in never forgot the help he received from Au- " the beautiful loneliness of our mountains." gustine Henry and paid many tributes to the In China he learned to appreciate the plants "scholarly Irishman" who guided him. Of and above all the forests. "A forest is the Augustine Henry’s own introduction, the finest thing in the world: it is the expression eponymous Lilium henryi, Wilson wrote: "It of nature in the highest form: it is so full of is particularly fitting that such a notable ad- beauty and of variety," he said in another dition to our gardens should bear the hon- 38

A. 1896. "A List of Plants from Formosa with oured name of a pioneer who has done so Henry, some Prelimmary Remarks on the Geography, much to a world of the acquaint sceptical Nature of the Flora and Economic Botany of the rich floral wealth of interior China." From Island." Transacuons of the Asiatic Society of the Chinese flora’s treasure chest, he dis- Japan, 24: supplement. the and allowed with . 1893. Notes on the Economic Botany of Chma. played jewels others, Presbytenan Mission Press, Shanghai. his help and encouragement, to bring the Henry Mss., National Botamc Gardens, Dublin. Augus- gems to us. Without Augustine Henry we tine Henry’s dianes and letters. The Horticultural Club. 1902. Gardeners’ Chromcle would be the poorer. (3rdser.)31: 244. Kew Mss., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (English Let- at the National E. Charles Nelson is taxonomist ters vol. 151, ff 705-709, 710-714, 715-717, 718, Ireland Botanic Gardens, Dublm, 725-730, 752, 753.) Letters to W. Thistleton- This paper was read at a meeting held in University Dyer B. 1980. The Garden College, Dublm, in November 1980, marking the 50th Morley, "Augustme Henry." (Lon- 285-289 anmversary of Augustme Henry’s death; the meetmg don) 105 /7/~ His Botamcal Ac- was held under the auspices of the Insh section of thee . 1979. "Augustme Henry: Society for the Bibhography of Natural History, the So- tivities m Chma, 1882-1890." Glasra 3: 21-81. ciety of Insh Foresters, and the Forestry Graduates Morse Mss., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Letters of Augustine Henry and Hosea Morse. . Group. Nelson, E C 1980 "An Insh Mandann, Augustine Henry ( 1857-1930/." Taisce Journal 4/2/~ 12-14. Oliver, D. 1891. "Davidia involucrata. Hooker’s Acknowledgements IconesPlantarum, t 19G1. Patton, E. R. Unpublished ms. "Ulsterman and Chinese My thanks are due to the libranans and archivists of Botamst: the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the Arnold Arbore- Scholar, Explorer, Photographer, Thomas Watters 1840-1901." tum, Boston, Massachusetts; the National Library of S. 1966. The Wood and the Trees, a and the Hunt Institute for Botamcal Pim, Biography of Ireland, Dublin; London. The best Documentation, Pittsburgh, for their assistance with Augusune Henry. Macdonald, source of information on this article and especially for making available copies of biographical Augustine Augustine Henry’s letters. Henry. Sargent Mss., Arnold Arboretum, Boston, Massachu- setts. Sutton, S. B. 1970. Charles Sprague Sargent and the Ar- References nold Arboretum. Harvard University Press, Bean, W. J. 1908. "Viburnum utile."Curus’s Botamcal Cambndge. 1906. Hortus Veitchm Veitch. Magazine. t. 8174. Veitch, J H. James Lon- don. Besant, J. W. 1931. "The Late Professor Henry, V. M. Wilson Arnold H." Gardeners’ Chromcle /3rd ser.~ 87: 274-275. Mss., Arboretum, Boston, Massachu- setts. Bretschneider, E. 1898. History of European Botamcal Wilson, E H. 1925. The Lihes of Eastern Asia. Stratford, Discovenes in China 2 vols. Sampson Low, Boston. London. Wilson, E. H. 1926. Amstocrats of the Garden. Stratford, A. 1969. The a Coats, Quest for Plants, History of the Boston. Horticultural Explorers Studio Vista, London. Fairchild, D. 1941. The World Was My Garden. Travels of a Plant Explorer. Scribner’s. New York and London. " -. 1921. "An Agncultural Explorer m Chma." Asia, January: 7. Gleeson Mss., National Library of Ireland, Dublin. Let- ters of Augustine Henry and Evelyn Gleeson. Grove, A. 1930. "Professor Augustine Henry." Garden- ers’ Chromcle (3rd ser.) 2257: 248-249. Native Plants: Another Harrison L. Flint View

Following the tradition of such great mid- of the area, yet native only farther south and western naturalists as Jens Jensen, Aldo west? Must redbud (Cercis canadensis) be Leopold, and May Theilgaard Watts, con- excluded in southwestern Wisconsin, since temporary landscape planners have grown in it is an exotic species in that state, even awareness of native plants and their useful- though it grows naturally a dozen miles ness in designed landscapes. The movement away in northwestern Illinois? In Indiana toward landscaping with native plants now must another tree legume, American yel- has spread widely and has not yet reached its lowwood (Cladrastis lutea be restricted in full potential. Its ultimate expression may use to only those few counties where it is be found in re-creating natural associations indigenous? of plants, a stepwise and time-consuming Any question about species eligibility for process now being carried out by only a use in re-creating or preserving a natural handful of landscape planners. Such plan- plant association finds its answer in the ners usually are sophisticated horticul- planner’s knowledge of the association. turists who have elected to specialize in Clearly, only certain plants "belong." But in this particular area. other areas of landscape planning, divisions Yet, while thoroughgoing landscape plan- between native and nonnative species blur ners have developed close familiarity with a - and perhaps are best left blurred, allowing great range of plants, carefully selecting selection decisions to be made according to those most appropriate for the situation at criteria relating to function. hand, less-sophisticated members of their Exclusion of nonnative plants on principle profession have eschewed all forms of vege- is based upon several generalized claims, all tation that are not "native." For some this of which hold at least a grain of truth. position is taken with a sense of missionary (1) Nonnative plants look out of place in zeal; for others it may simply offer conveni- the landscape. ence in requiring less knowledge of land- If one’s objective is to preserve a natural scape plants. landscape, ample justification exists for re- To select landscape plants on the basis of moving nonnative species as weeds. The whether or not they are native, one must same is true in re-creating a "natural" land- " first determine which species are "native." scape, but in other cases the question is not In New England, for instance, is it permissi- so easily answered. Must a woodland gar- ble to select black locust (Robinia pseudo- dener in New England be asked to plant no acacia), a common wild tree in much other species of wild ginger (Asarum ~ than 40 41

the native A. canadense? Must sweetshrub soil are drastically altered. In short, devel- (Calycanthus floridus/, galax /G. aphylla/,), oped sites are so greatly changed that they box huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera),), may differ much more from nearby natural and yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)/ areas than do certain natural areas on the be left to their more southerly native other side of the earth. haunts? And must the New England gar- (3) Nonnative plants are weedy, repro- dener be sure to omit lily of the valley (Con- ducing freely and invading areas where they vallaria majalis) and English ivy (Hedera are not wanted. helix), as European natives? Perhaps, but This is a valid criticism of several nonna- only as a matter of taste. tive species, such as buckthorns (Rhamnus (2) Plant species are better adapted to the sp.), certain Asian honeysuckles (Lonicera region in which they are native than else- sp.), kudzu vine (Pueraria lobata and some where, because this region has "made" species of Euonymus. But it is not a fair gen- them, through distinctive selection eralization. In fact, it seems a contradiction pressures. to generalize that nonnative species are not As logical as this view may seem at first, it well adapted yet reproduce to the point of has two flaws. First, it excludes the possibil- being a nuisance. Again, it is necessary to ity of preadaptation. For example, the cli- know which species, both native and exotic, mate of northeastern Asia so closely paral- are weedy and exclude them in situations in lels that of similar latitudes in northeastern which they might get out of control. North America that many Asian species (4) Native plants are less susceptible to have been preadapted to our climate long be- insect and disease problems than nonna- fore they have seen it and turn out to be tives and so need less maintenance. some of our most useful landscape plants. We as often hear the counterclaim: that A second flaw is the tacit presumption nonnative plants separated from their that the soil and climate of a particular land- ecosystems are, at least for a time, free of scape site are similar to those of the natural many of their natural enemies, and exam- region in which it is located. Landscape de- ples of native species with major problems signers and contractors know that this is not are easily found. American elm (Ulmus true. Most landscape sites, especially urban americana ) has been decimated in many ones, are exposed to soil and climatic stress- areas by Dutch elm disease and phloem ne- es that seldom exist in wild areas nearby. crosis. The most promising sources of resis- Soils may be greatly modified by construc- tance to Dutch elm disease are Asian and tion and subsequent restoration. Patterns of European species and their hybrids. The wind, solar radiation, and temperature fluc- majestic American chestnut /Castanea den- tuation are modified in developed sites. Per- tata), nearly wiped out by blight in its native haps most important of all, patterns of rain- habitat decades ago, is finding its closest re- fall, runoff, and absorption of water into the placement in the disease-resistant Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) and its hybrids. Crabapples native to eastern North Amer- American yellowwood (Cladrastis luteal. ica (e.g., Malus angustifolia, M. coronaria, Drawings by Cynthia DeSando. and M. ioensis) are susceptible to cedar-apple 42

Left: Purpleleaf wintercreeper (Euonymus for- tunel ’Colorata’), a selected form of a native Chinese species, is useful as a groundcover in most of the eastern United States. It is shown here in an espahered form. Mary Rosenfeld photo. Opposite: Amur corktree (Phellodendron amurense), from Manchuria, is well adapted to comparable climates in northeastern North America. Al Bussewitz photo. Below: Amur chokecherry (Prunus maackii), from northeastern Asia, is well adapted to much of northeastern North America, providing bark interest equalled by only one native cherry, the pin cherry (P. pensylvanica). 43 441

rust, a serious enough problem to rule them its planned network of plant germ plasm re- out as landscape plants in most localities positories, the first two now becoming oper- where red cedar /juniperus virginiana/, the ational on the West Coast. It is up to other alternate host for the disease organism, is institutions, including botanical gardens and present. Asian crabapples are relatively free arboreta, to develop stronger programs relat- of this problem. In areas where red cedar ing to preservation and development of germ does not grow wild, the disease can be plasm of value to landscape improvement. largely controlled by substituting junipers of There are, of course, landscape situations Asian origin for red cedar. where nonnative plants are clearly inappro- Resistance to insect and disease problems priate and so to be avoided. This includes is too important a consideration in selecting preservation, restoration, and re-creation of landscape plants to be left to generalization. natural areas and plant associations. In It is better dealt with directly by selecting many other situations the constraint of troublefree plants than indirectly by select- using only native plants, intended to pro- ing only native or nonnative plants, in the duce a natural effect, itself becomes artifact. expectation that they will tend to be more In such situations it is more sensible to re- resistant to problems than their opposite turn to the basics of plant selection, consid- numbers. ering adaptability and intended function (5) We need to make better use of the first, then maintenance requirements and tremendous pool of genetic diversityinher- seasonal interest. When a pool of plants hav- ent in native plant species, a pool that has ing the desired requirements has been as- been barely sampled thus far. sembled, final selections can be made on the Amen! And the same can be said for non- basis of individual taste. native species. How often is our knowledge The search for a broad range of prospective of an Asian species, for instance, limited to a landscape plants, and their thoughtful use, few clones or at best a narrow slice of the have made our landscapes increasingly func- germ plasm that exists in the natural range? tional and interesting. Continuing the Intrepid plant explorers, especially in the search will enrich our lives in the process. past 100 years, have introduced to us many at Purdue new species from remote comers of the Harnson Flmt is professor of horticulture University in Lnfayette, Indiana. He is the author of world. But we have failed to follow on up two books that will be published this year. The Coun- their discoveries by assembling larger sam- try Joumal Book of Trees and Shrubs, by W. W. ples of those species for evaluation, just as Norton, and Landscape Plants for Eastern North America, by John Wiley. surely as we have neglected to observe fully the variation that exists in native species. As a result, our narrow knowledge of diversity in plant species confounds the issue of their nativeness. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking an important step to improve this situation with regard to crop species through