Forsythia
(named in honour of William Forsyth, 1737-1804, the King's Gardener at Kensington, author of "Observations on the Diseases of Trees," London, 1791). ORD. Oleaceoe. Very ornamental hardy dwarf deciduous shrubs. Flowers yellow, drooping, solitary. Leaves simple or compound, glabrous. Branches slender. For culture, see Fontanesia.
F. suspensa (hanging-down).* fl. yellow, few, scattered, on very slender branches; peduncles slender. l. simple and trifoliolate on the same branch, toothed; central leaflet largest. Japan and China. This is a very graceful shrub, which does thoroughly well either as a climber against a wall, or treated as a bush in the open shrubbery border; it also forces readily. In nurseries, it is frequently met with under the names of F. Fortunei and F. Sieboldi. (S. Z. F. J. 3.) F. viridissima (very green).* fl. yellow, numerous; peduncles much shorter than the flowers, bracteolate. March. l. all simple, entire, linear-lanceolate or oblong, acute. h. 10ft. Japan, 1845. (B. M. 4587.)