Exochorda
(from exo, external, and chorde, a cord; the free placentary cords external to the carpels have suggested the name of the genus). ORD. Rosaceae. Very handsome, hardy shrubs, remarkable for the structure of their fruits, which consist of five small, compressed, bony carpels, adhering round a central axis, in a star-like manner. The species described below thrives in any good garden soil. Propagated by seeds, by layers, or by suckers. The second species, E. serratifolia, also a native of China, is not yet introduced.
E. grandiflora (large-flowered).* fl. white, large, in axillary, elongated, few-flowered racemes; calyx bell-shaped; petals four or five, rounded; stamens fifteen, short. May. fr. small. l. petiolate, lanceolate-oblong, entire or serrulate, membranous. h. 6ft. North China. A very handsome plant. (G. C. n. s., xvi. 73; B. M. 4795, under name of Spiraea grandiflora.)