128 LONDON TREES 



Though apt to become cankered and stag-headed, 

 the common Ash does fairly well, and though blackened 

 by soot and dust, the silvery-barked native Birch 

 has arrived at a goodly size in some of the more 

 open situations. Our native Elm thrives apace in very 

 smoky and confined positions, though in that respect 

 it cannot compare with the Plane or Acacia. In these 

 cases comparisons of how different trees succeed in 

 the Metropolis have always been taken from the same 

 district or, in other words, the trees compared are 

 growing under similar conditions as to soil and 

 situation. 



By far the largest and most representative collection 

 of park trees in London is to be found in the central 

 group which includes Hyde, Green, and St. James's 

 Parks, and Kensington Gardens. To the casual 

 observer the variety of trees to be found in London 

 may appear small, but such is by no means the case ; 

 indeed, the number of distinct species as recorded in 

 these pages proves that the list is a comparatively long 

 one. It is only after a careful examination of the 

 trees in our streets, squares, and open spaces by an 

 interested person that the number of different kinds 

 can be realised, for unless noted by those who are ac- 

 quainted with the peculiarities in form and foliage of 

 various trees, many of the less common kinds are apt 

 to be overlooked. Few Londoners know that in Hyde 

 Park and Kensington Gardens alone upwards of two 

 hundred and twenty distinct trees are cultivated, that 

 Battersea Park contains a host of rare species, that 

 the largest Ash tree flourishes in Cavendish Square, 

 a number of healthy Catalpas by the Clock Tower 

 at Westminster, the yellow-flowered Horse Chestnut 

 in Marylebone Road, the Judas Tree at Fulham, the 



