ON FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS. 245 



is a native of North America, and was introduced in 1823. This 

 species was ten guineas a plant as late as 1830, but plants may now 

 be procured in the nurseries at 3s. 6d. or 5s. each. This rapid 

 fall in the prices of new plants, and, in short, of every thing that 

 is new, is one of the most striking effects of the diffusion of know- 

 ledge. Formerly, even so late, indeed, as the beginning of the 

 present century, rare plants were only bought by wealthy indivi- 

 duals, and they retained the high prices at which they were 

 originally sold for many years afterwards, because there was not a 

 sufficient demand for them to make it worth while to propagate 

 them extensively ; now, no sooner is any thing new introduced, 

 than it is known to every body, and every body wishes to possess 

 it. 



There are several other species of ash barberry, all of which 

 are in the gardens of the Horticultural Society at Turnham Green, 

 and all of which bear their large branches of brilliant yellow flow- 

 ers in May and June. 



The thorns begin to flower early in April, and continue till the 

 latter end of June, the different species producing their flowers in 

 succession ; the earliest is Crataegus purpurea : this is not a hand- 

 some tree ; on the contrary, it has a miserable, and rather a stunted 

 appearance, but its flowers are remarkable for their black anthers 

 and the fruit for the variety of its colours, white, pale yellow, red 

 and purple haws being found on the same tree. C. nigra is an- 

 other early blossoming kind, with very small black fruit ; this tree 

 is said to attract nightingales, because, according to Mr. Loudon, 

 " it is particularly liable to be attacked by insects, and because 

 numerous caterpillars are to be found upon it about the time that 

 nightingales are in full song." 



In May and June appear the blossoms of the common hawthorn, 

 and those of all its numerous varieties. Perhaps no tree has pro- 

 duced more varieties than this. Loudon enumerates thirty kinds, 

 and we believe there are many more. The most remarkable of 

 these is the Glastonbury thorn, which is generally in flower at 

 Christmas. The Glastonbury thorn is, indeed, in leaf, flower, or 

 fruit almost all the year ; and it has, generally, all three at once on 

 it at Christmas, The original tree grows at Glastonbury ; and, 

 according to the legend, was the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, 

 which being stuck into the ground on Christmas day miraculously 

 took root, and instantly produced leaves, flowers, and ripe fruit. 

 Queen Mary's thorn has drooping branches, and long fleshy fruit, 



