43 



There are now considered to be two native species 

 of catalpa, both showy and desirable trees. In Dr. 

 Manasseh Cutler's journal' (Vol. I, p. 74) is this entry : 

 "April 13, 1779 : brought from Judge Oliver's two 

 scions of the catalpa tree, a native of America which 

 grows near the Ohio river." This was no doubt the 

 western catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) which did not 

 receive a name to distinguish it from the southern ca- 

 talpa (Catalpa bignonioides) until quite recently. 

 Judge Oliver's garden was where the Lynde Block now 

 stands, on Essex street ; and, curiously enough, in Mr. 

 Geo. Upton's garden (Mr. Upton's house is on Liberty 

 street), which in 1779 was probably a part of the Oliver 

 garden, there is to-day a fine tree of this western 

 catalpa, but hardly more than thirty years old. The 

 largest catalpa, and probably the oldest in the city, is 

 the southern catalpa in the yard of the Misses Shepard's 

 house, 25 Brown street. The tree was planted more 

 than eighty years ago, by Mr. J. H. Parnell and now 

 measures nearly nine feet in circumference. 



There is a southern catalpa which overhangs the j^ard 

 of the "Witch house" on Essex street, and there is 

 another in Mrs. Emmerton's yard a few doors above. 

 There is a curious tree, doubtless a sucker growth from 

 an older tree of the southern species, in the enclosure 

 of the Public Library on Monroe street.* 



The Japanese catalpa, (Catalpa ksempferi), a small 

 tree, has been introduced recently. There is a specimen 

 in the garden of the Bertram estate on, Dearborn street. 



The sassafras (Sassafras officinale) grows on the 



* The western catalpas were in full flower on June 80th this 

 year ; the southern catalpas, however, not until July 20th. 



