26 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINN.EUS 



propped up, is the very plant that was borne to the 

 ground in the fall, some years ago, of the palm tree 

 said to have been planted by Linnaeus's own hands here 

 so Mr. H. Witte, the present professor of botany 

 here, tells me. He does not believe Linnaeus really 

 planted the palm ; but the fact of the tradition, he con- 

 siders, makes the gymnodadus interesting, and connects 

 it with Linnseus's personality ; as a portrait, if even only 

 supposed to be a likeness, represents the individual 

 man to us. 



I think there has been some confusion between this 

 tree of Linnseus's and a palm tree a caulescent variety 

 of Chamcerops humilis planted by Clusius, professor 

 of botany, who died, aged 84, in 1609. This tree was 

 noted by Stoever as still, in 1788, existing in great 

 perfection. 



Mr. Witte showed me a medallion of Linne with 

 the Linncea borealis at the button-hole the same that 

 is engraved in Stoever's i Life of Linneeus.' He also 

 showed me a cast of the fine Upsala bust, and a small 

 bust in silver, forming part of the cover of a handsome 

 silver inkstand presented to Mr. Witte, whose official 

 residence stands at the entrance to the garden. There 

 is no specimen of the Linncea borealis here ; the head 

 gardener, rummaging about in his brains for a long- 

 forgotten German word, says it is Kaput, and Mr. 

 Witte says the climate of Leyden did not suit it and it 

 died. 



' Linnaeus together with Van Royen examined the 



