THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



not a large tree, seldom exceeding 40 feet in height 

 with a trunk about 3 feet in girth. It attains its 

 maximum development in sheltered valleys and for- 

 est glades on the limestone of North Carolina. A 

 rare tree in a wild state, it is distributed from North 

 Carolina to central Florida and westward to south- 

 east Kentucky and eastern Mississippi and southward 

 to central Alabama. It is another discovery of the 

 elder Michaux who found it in North Carolina in 1789 

 and introduced it to European gardens the following 

 year. Naturally with such huge leaves it requires 

 protection from the wind and should be planted in a 

 cool, sheltered place. It is hardy in the Arnold 

 Arboretum and at Rochester, New York, where 

 there are fine old trees in the Elwanger and Barry 

 Nursery. Such a wonderful tree is worthy of the 

 widest recognition among garden lovers. 



Ranking next in size of leaf to the above is the 

 Umbrella-tree (M. tripctala) which has leaves from 

 1 \ to 3 feet long, obovate-lance-shaped, tapering at 

 both ends, and clustered at the end of the shoot. 

 The flowers are white, slightly scented, and from 5 

 to 8 inches across. The Umbrella-tree seldom ex- 

 ceeds 40 feet in height, and grows wild from York 

 and Lancaster counties, Pennsylvania, along the 

 Alleghanies to Virginia and Kentucky. It is an old 

 denizen of gardens, having been introduced into Eng- 

 140 



