Trees, Shrubs and Vines 



mossy-cup oak (Quercus macrocarpa), one of the finest 

 oaks in the Park broad, luxuriant, and majestic. The 

 leaf, in contour, lustre, and leathery texture, resembles 

 the swamp white oak's more than any other, but a criti- 

 cal eye will soon note that the lower half is very deeply 

 lobed, and that the lobes of the upper half suddenly be- 

 come very small ; it is also a very large leaf, sometimes 

 twelve or even fifteen inches long, exceeding every other 

 in the genus. The "cup" is also peculiar in the 

 fringe at its edge, which gives it the name of " mossy- 

 cup "j and the acorn is sometimes of huge size, occa- 

 sionally nearly two inches across. Its open and com- 

 manding position displays most admirably this splendid 

 growth, and it is a pleasure to add that it is one of our 

 "home products," being found in a large area of the 

 country, and rated as one of the finest in North Amer- 

 ica. 



MAPLES. With nearly two hundred native hardy spe- 

 cies to choose from, maples must possess very special 

 merits that they should constitute more than nine- tenths, 

 perhaps forty-nine-fiftieths, of all the trees planted along 

 the streets in the Northeastern United States. The 

 reason for this unanimity of choice is easily apparent. 

 Many other species have one or another of the maple's 

 excellences, but none other has them all. 



First, it is very healthy and luxuriant in bark and 

 foliage the greatest desideratum of all. Secondly, it 

 is not only symmetrical, but its form exactly adapts it 

 to the requirements of street and sidewalk tall and siz- 

 able, but not too broad ; the equally symmetrical beech 



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