102 



Garden and Forest. 



[April 25, 18S8. 



by a wooden stri.cture for many successive winters. Far 

 more handsome specimens are to be met with than this — 

 which dates from 1796 — but its historical associations 

 make it worthy of mention. It measures 34 feet in heig^ht 

 and has a spreading round head quite simihir in outline to 

 those slcetched in their native forests b)^ Miss North ; the 

 stem is 3 feet 10 in. in girth at three feet from the ground. 

 The large SopJiora Japonka near the newlv constructed 

 rockery for hardy Ferns is not only one of the original oc- 

 cupants of Alton's Arboretum, but it is one of the three or 

 four plants first introduced into Britain. It flowers pro- 

 fusely every year, but never seeds ; although perfectl)^ 

 hardy our summers are not hot enough for pods to be de- 

 veloped. (In northern France do the same remarks appl)'. 

 During a continental trip last August I saw no pods imtil I 

 had got well into the southern districts beyond the Loire. ) 

 The Kew plant is about 50 feet in height, with a stem 13 ft. 

 6 in. in girth ; it divides into numerous massive branches 

 at about the height of a man and some of these are bound 

 together by strong iron chains — the head has a spread of 



when young. Possessing these advantages, it is not sur- 

 prising to find that it is now being largely planted in many 

 places. 



Ginkgo hiliiha, the tree formerly only known in gardens 

 as Sdlisburia adiaiili/olia, or the Maidenhair tree, is perfectly 

 hardy at Kew and grows freely. Our largest specimen is 

 upwards of 56 feet in height, with a head 42 feet in diame- 

 ter, and a trunk 9 feet in girth at a yard from the ground. 

 Formerly this specimen was trained against a wall like a 

 fruit tree, but the building being removed the tree was left, 

 and the side branches cut away. This tree, too, like many 

 others which flourish well at Kew, does not flower, al- 

 though it is on record that when enjoying the shelter of the 

 wall it did produce male catkins. 



The largest of the I'urkey Oaks (Quercus Cern's) in the 

 Kew Arlioretum, is one growing near the Temple of the 

 Sun. This was also presented by the Duke of Argyle. It is 

 a noble specimen 85 feet in height, the spreading head 

 being 96 feet through, and the trunk 15 feet 6 inches in circum- 

 ference a yard above the ground. As a timber tree, in 



Fii^. 22. — Rusa minutitolia. 



about 75 feet. Some other specimens at Kew are almost 

 equally fine, and one, planted in a wood, where it had 

 been prevented from developing too much laterally, has a 

 fine clear stem of thirty or forty feet. 



Not far from the Sophora just described is probably the 

 finest Hop Hornbeam in the British Isles. This is not the 

 Hop Hornbeam or Iron-wood of the north-eastern United 

 States, but its European representati\'e {Osiiya carpinifolia), 

 and, in my opinion, a more ornamental species than the 

 American plant. It is 50 feet in height, with a trunk f)]'-. 

 feet in girth and a spreading head of upwards of 70 feet 

 wide. This, although it is annually laden with its curious 

 hop-like catkins, does not ripen seed at Kew. 



The Corsican Pine {Piniis Lan'cio) near the Grand En- 

 trance is a remarkably fine example of the species, and. 

 moreover, has an interesting histiuy. After peace had been 

 proclaimed in 1815. it was brought to England by the 

 botanist Salisbury. It was then a small plant, about si.x 

 inches high, in a pot; the measurements now are : height 90 

 feet (several feet have been broken off the top by snow 

 storms during the last dozen years) ; spread, 60 fee't ; girth 

 of trunk at 4 feet from the ground, 9 feet. P. Lan'cio \s a 

 valuable timber tree, a fast grower, and stands the rough 

 sea breezes well, besides being almost proof against game 



Britain at an}' rate, this species is not of much value, but 

 the South African forest authorities are planting it largely. 

 The great importance of growing belts of Oak in the South 

 African forests is that the)' are trees which by their dense 

 shade keep down the grass, the burning of ^\•hich does so 

 much damage to the forests every winter. The Turkev 

 Oak being better adapted to the climate of South Africa 

 than the common Oak {Quercus peduiiciila/a), its extended 

 propagation is, according to the Conservator of Forests 

 stationed at King Williamstown, of the first importance. 



Roval Gardens, Kew. GeO. Kichols07!. 



New or Little Known Plants. 



Rosa minutifolia.* 



OUR wild Roses have an ill reputation among bota- 

 nists for the uncertainty which often attends the 

 determination of their species. But there are some, fortu- 

 nately, about which there can be no doubt, and we have 



*R. MINUTIFOLIA, Ene;elm. in Bull. Torr. Club, ix. 97. Of dense growth, 2 to 4 

 feel liigli, pubescent, willi numerous scattered terete straight or slightly curved 

 spines : leaves small, with nan-ow stipules, the leaflets 5, round to lanceolate, i to 5 

 Imes long, incised-dentate : flowers an inch broad or less, pink or white, solitary 

 on short tomentuse peduncles terminating very short branclilels ; receptacle glo- 

 bose, densely setose-hispid, the calv.K-segmenls cleft, persistent; styles distinct. 



