Philadelphus Philadelphus, L.

1. P. coronarius L. View in CoL , Sp. Pl. 470 (1753)

( P. pallidus Hayek ex C. K. Schneider ).

1 -3 m, with numerous slender, dark brown twigs. Leaves 5-8 cm, ovate to oblong-elliptical, acuminate, remotely and finely toothed, shortly stalked, glabrous or sparingly hairy beneath. Flowers in short terminal racemes, strongly scented. Sepals triangular, acute. Petals 12-18 mm, oblong-elliptical, creamy white. Stamens c. 25, shorter than the petals. Scrub or woodland on warm slopes. N. & C. Italy; Austria; C. Romania. Au It *Rm [Cz Rs].

This plant has been a favourite in European gardens for centuries, and its origin is subject to some doubt. Stations where it is undoubtedly native are very few, and the cultivated plant, on which theLinnaean species is based, differs somewhat from wild specimens. P. caucasicus Koehne , Gartenfl. 1896: 508 (1896), which is cultivated and locally naturalized in S. Russia and Ukraine, does not seem to differ from the plant of C. Europe sufficiently to be considered specifically distinct.