INTRODUCTION 



xv 



and gold. Xerxes halted his unwieldy army for days that he might contemplate 

 to his satisfaction the beauty of a single tree. He had its form wrought upon a 

 medal of gold to help him to remember it the rest of his life." There are now 

 standing in Europe some such plane trees whose age is estimated at something like 

 four thousand years. Nearly three centuries ago John Parkinson, the famous 

 herbalist, mentioned the fact that these planes were planted by waysides and in 

 market places "for their shadowes sake only," and in America to-day this is a 

 sufficient reason for adorning our streets with them. 



The Oriental Plane is a more compact tree than its wide-spreading American 

 cousin our familiar sycamore. The latter soon becomes too large and spreads 



FLOWERING BRANCH OF THE EUROPEAN LINDEN 



too broadly to be well adapted to street planting. The leaves of the two are quite 

 similar, those of the Oriental species being generally smaller and more uniform. 

 The blossoms and seedballs are much alike in the two trees. 



The European Linden is also becoming favorably known for street planting. 

 At least three species and several varieties come under this general heading, the 

 most desirable kind for avenue use being the typical form, called technically Tilia 

 vulgaris or sometimes Tilia europaea. This species has the symmetrical outline 



