MARCH 57 



of Salvia splendens ! Neither is orange to be found in 

 the corolla of any of our native flowers, except some 

 splashes of that brave tint on the standards of bird's- 

 foot trefoil (Lotus cornicukitus). There is, indeed, an 

 orange form of the Welsh poppy (Meconopsis Cambrica), 

 but that is probably a garden sport. Luckily the 

 exotics which fly these gay colours and can put up 

 with our climate lose nothing of their splendour under 

 our cloudy firmament. For sheer shrieking orange- 

 vermilion I know nothing to match the flowers which 

 the Chilean Habranthus pratensis flings out in May ; 

 and that form of Geum Chiloense called ' Gibson's 

 Scarlet ' is really dazzling. 



XIII 



Currency has been given in the press to a statement 

 which, if unchallenged, may tend to injuring A Libel on 

 the reputation of one of the nobler forest trees. the Plane 

 It is asserted, on what authority we are not informed, 

 that the minute spicules scattered in spring from the 

 ripe fruit of the Oriental plane act as agents in causing 

 catarrh in human beings, especially among the popula- 

 tion of London. This theory, if that term may be 

 applied to sheer guessing, is devoid of any evidence to 

 support it. It is true that the dispersal of plane seeds 

 and their volatile achenes by the winds of March syn- 

 chronise with a vast amount of catarrh among the 

 inhabitants of London ; it is also true there are more 

 fine planes in London than any other kind of tree. 

 But before making random accusation against the tree, 

 which is well-nigh unique in its capacity to resist, and 



