54 FAMILIAR TREES 



The first reference to the occurrence of the Straw- 

 berry-tree in the British Isles is Parkinson's in 1640, 

 "when he gives an excellent description of the tree, its 

 rugged red bark, the leaves "very like unto Bay leaves, 

 but . . . without any sent ; " the flowers " formed like 

 unto little bottles, or the flowers of Lilly convally," 

 and the " round berryes, greene at the first, yellowish 

 afterwards, and of an excellent reddish colour, and 

 somewhat hoary withall being full ripe, like unto a 

 Strawberry, but much greater in the naturall warme 

 countries, as great as a plumbe, but with us, and in 

 Ireland, where they have beene found growing of 

 their own accord, no bigger than a Raspisberrie, and 

 neere unto the same, both forme and colour, that is, 

 like a pallide clarret Wine, of an austere taste." 



He adds that it " hath beene of late dayes found in 

 the West part oi Ireland " and " hath come to us . . . by 

 the name of the Cane-apple, with as great judgment 

 and reason as many other vulgar names are. " For 

 this comment the Irish botanist Threlkeld took 

 Parkinson severely to task. " His ignorance of the 

 Irish language," he writes, "made him censure the 

 name, for Plipy called the fruit Pomum, and the word 

 Caihne is Irish, so that Mr. Parkinson ought to have 

 forborn his Fling upon the word Cane-apple." 



Though generally bushy in its growth in England, 

 and seldom much exceeding ten feet in height, the 

 Arbutus in Ireland has exceeded thirty feet in height 

 and has produced a stem over two feet in girth. The 

 ■warm red-brown of its flaking bark is very striking, 

 contrasting admirably with the dark glossy green of 

 the leathery leaves. 



