252 THE PLANT WORLD. 



grow to a great age and around some of them are clustered mem- 

 ories of episodes important in Japanese history. At the Temple 

 of Hachiman, in Kamakura, is a fine specimen with trunk eight 

 feet in diameter. Behind this in the year 12 18 it is said the as- 

 sassin of the Shogun Sanetomo lay in wait for his victim. In 

 fact the Ginkgo, or " icho " as the Japanese call it, takes the 

 place of oaks and elms in English and American history. The 

 foliage of the Ginkgo reminds the observer of the leaf segments 

 of the maiden-hair fern and Europeans sometimes call it " maiden- 

 hair tree." In autumn the leaves become a brilliant golden yellow 

 and add not a little to the beauty of many a Japanese scene. 



A few years ago the present botanical garden belonged to one 

 of the Japanese aristocracy. With the downfall of the feudal 

 system in 1868 came the relinquishment to the state of many valu- 

 able private estates, and in this way botanical garden and institute 

 became possible. The present botanical garden with its well 

 equipped laboratories and many students is about twenty-five years 

 old. It is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial University. 



The garden is located about a mile from the University campus 

 in the northern part of the city of Tokyo. Its position is officially 

 described in the University calendar as " Hakusan, Gotenmachi, 

 Koishikawa, Tokyo." In size the garden is not large, there being 

 about forty acres, but most of this area is in a high state of culti- 

 vation. There are about three thousand species of living plants. 

 In the main part of the garden the arrangement is by families, 

 according to the system of Engler and Prantl. Besides this part 

 there is a group of medicinal plants and also an ecological series 

 of plants which grow in shady situations. A green-house of 

 European construction is provided for the tropical species. Be- 

 side this a number of plant-houses and arbors in native style 

 ofifer opportunity for the display of the well-known Japanese 

 taste in floral arrangement. 



Although the garden is attractive, it is by no means a mere 

 show-place. Students in botany, entomology and pharmacy are 

 required to spend certain hours in study there and those in some 

 lines gain a great amount of practical experience in this work. 

 The high degree of specialization in the courses of the university 



