BILLARDIERA LONGIFLORA.--Blue Apple Berry. Van Diemen's Land, 1810. If
only for its rich, blue berries, as large as those of a cherry, this
otherwise elegant climbing shrub is well worthy of a far greater share
of attention than it has yet received, for it must be admitted that it
is far from common. The greenish bell-shaped blossoms produced in May
are, perhaps, not very attractive, but this is more than compensated
for by the highly ornamental fruit, which renders the plant an object
of great beauty about mid-September. Leaves small and narrow, on
slender, twining stems, that clothe well the lower half of a garden
wall in some sunny favoured spot. Cuttings root freely if inserted in
sharp sand and placed in slight heat, while seeds germinate quickly.


BRYANTHUS.

BRYANTHUS ERECTUS.--Siberia. This is a pretty little Ericaceous plant,
nearly allied to Menziesia, and with a plentiful supply of dark-green
leaves. The flowers, which are borne in crowded clusters at the points
of the shoots, are bell-shaped, and of a pleasing reddish-lilac colour.
It wants a cool, moist peaty soil, and is perfectly hardy. When in a
flowering stage the Bryanthus is one of the brightest occupants of the
peat bed, and is a very suitable companion for such dwarf plants as
the Heaths, Menziesias, and smaller growing Kalmias.

B. EMPETRIFORMIS (_syn Menziesia empetrifolia_).--North America, 1829.
This is a compact, neat species, and well suited for alpine gardening.
The flowers are rosy-purple, and produced abundantly.