TREES 51 



cans ?, pentandra, triandra, phylicifolia^ and the elegant 

 rosmarinifolia,) which always shows a tendency to revert to 

 the ordinary variety. 



Most species of Willow contain a glucoside called Salicin 

 which possesses medicinal properties. From it, salicylate of 

 sodium was originally prepared, though that drug is now made 

 on a large scale from carbolic acid. It is used very largely for 

 acute rheumatism, for which it is by far the most efficacious 

 drug. Professor Daubeny remarked that it is a curious fact 

 that swamps, which are a fruitful cause of ague and rheumatic 

 disorders, favour also the growth of the very plants which 

 are capable of counteracting them. 



In the border between the Green-houses we have Hedysarum 

 multijugum, which should be better known, and two exquisite 

 Japanese Maples, Acer palmatum and the beautiful dark 

 variety A. palmatum var. atropurpureum. 



Near the Cherwell two large Elms grew to such a height 

 as to completely overshadow the Glass-houses, and they had 

 to be felled in 1893. Near by are three Limes, the largest 

 9 ft. 3 in. in girth, and a clump of Dogwood, Cornus^ prized 

 by butchers for providing skewers for meat. The other trees 

 in this quarter are a Willow with a girth of 17 ft. greater 

 than that of any other tree in the vicinity ; two Horse- 

 chestnuts, the larger of which measures 14 ft. ; a Black 

 Walnut, Juglans m'gra, 7 ft. 6 in. ; and a variety of the 

 Common Ash, Fraxinus excelsior var. parvifolia, 8 ft. 4 in. 

 in girth. Just beyond the fence is a fine Poplar. 



In the shrubbery near the southern pond are Sequoia 

 gigantea, Cephalotaxus dmpacea, Cupressus Lawsoniana, and 

 Pinus pumilio. On the southern aspect of the South. Wall 

 the Pomegranate sometimes flowers freely (1893), but does 

 not set fruit ; but the fine Pyrus japonica yielded 10 gallons of 

 fruit in 1904 (Church's " Floral Mechanism "). Many fine 

 climbers for list, see p. 146 grow on the wall, Tamarix 

 gallica and Parrottia persica being especially worthy of notice. 



