FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. 345 



CHAPTER XVI. 



GIANTS. 



"There were giants in those days" scarcely includes 

 those of the vegetable world, for the facts which 

 relate to the most gigantic of plant productions are 

 of recent date. Under the term " giant " we do 

 not purpose to include unusual developments of 

 individuals, but to refer to species, of which large 

 dimensions is an attribute. Large oaks, large elms, 

 largfe forest trees of various kinds are enumerated in 

 all books of forestr\-, and these have their own 

 interest, but not the same interest as that which 

 attaches to plants which are normally of extraordi- 

 nary size. Literally, then, we have to deal with 

 vegetable Titans, with "mammoth" trees, and gigantic 

 flowers, commonly attaining dimensions far in excess 

 of ordinary' trees and flowers ; their claim to notice 

 being their normally unusual size. 



It was for some time supposed that the largest of 

 all known trees were the conifers of the western side 

 of the North American continent. The trees known 

 to Englishmen as Wellingtonia and to Americans as 

 Sequoia were, up to a recent date, regarded as the 



