152 FAMILIAR TREES 



bears but a single " button." In its native country 

 it rejoices in damp river-valleys, often growing 

 actually on the banks, and affording, in conse- 

 quence, a more quickly-grown timber than the 

 Oriental, though inferior to it in quality. Speci- 

 mens are recorded with a girth of over forty- 

 seven feet, and it sometimes grows to a great 

 height without branching. 



So much confusion has arisen from the simi- 

 larity of the Occidental to the Maple-leaved Plane 

 (P. orientalis acerifolia), that it is impossible to 

 sift the evidence as to their relative hardiness ; but 

 neither kind seems to compare for longevity with 

 the true Oriental form. Philip Miller, indeed, who 

 was gardener to the Apothecaries' Company at 

 Chelsea from 1722 to 1771, states that he knew 

 from his own observation that the Maple-leaved 

 Plane was only a seedling variety of the Oriental; 

 in which case the former has, perhaps, been too 

 short a time in existence to be fairly tested. 



All kinds are now raised from either seed, 

 cuttings, or layers, the last method being, on the 

 whole, the most satisfactory. Considering its pre- 

 eminent excellence as a shade-giving tree, capable 

 of withstanding the most vitiated atmosphere, the 

 cultivation of Planes may, it is to be hoped, 

 be greatly increased in the future, especially in 

 our towns. In the pure air of the country, how- 

 ever, where smoke has not to be taken into con- 

 sideration, the facts that it is late in coming into 

 leaf, and is somewhat opaque in colouring, may 

 cause some of our native trees to be preferred to it. 



