152 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



1740, when " most of their kind were killed." " In the 

 orchard " there was " a tree of Rhamnus Catharticus " (Buck- 

 thorn) " twenty feet high, and near a foot in diameter." Wat- 

 son also mentions a deciduous cypress, " Cupressus americanus 

 acacia foliis deciduis " (Taxodium distichum), a tree which the 

 Tradescants introduced. The tulip-tree was also one of their 

 importations. Evelyn thus refers to it : " Poplar of Virginia — I 

 conceive it was first brought over by John Tradescant, under the 

 name of tulip-tree (from the likeness of its flowers), but is not, 

 that I find, taken much notice of in any of our Herbals. I wish 

 we had more of them, but they are difficult to elevate at first." 1 

 Some other plants brought over by them have more fortunately 

 preserved their memory. Tradescant's Daffodil, called " the 

 great rose daffodil " in Parkinson, is Plenissimus, still described 

 as " the largest and richest yellow of all double daffodils." 2 

 Tradescant's Aster still bears their name, and the Tradescantias, 

 or Spiderworts, are a well-known genus. During his travels, 

 Tradescant made purchases for his patron, the first Earl of 

 Salisbury, and some of his original bills are preserved at 

 Hatfield. Many of the items are of interest, showing not only 

 the prices paid for known plants, but also for some new ones, 

 which he was the first to introduce. 

 The following are extracts from this interesting series : 3 



"3 January, 161 1 — John Tradescant his bill for Routes, flowers, 

 seedes, trees and plants by him bought for my Lo : in Holland — Bought 

 at Leyden in Holland — For roots of flowers of Roasses and shrubs of 

 Strang and rare, £3. — . . . Also bought at Harlem in Holland of Cornellis 

 Helin of the Rathe ripe cherry trees 32 at 4s. the peece, £6. 8s. — for 

 flowers called anemones, 5s. — for 16 Province Roses, 8s. — for two 

 mulbery trees 6s. — for the great red currants 6 plants is. — for two 

 arbor vita trees is. — fortye frittelarias at 3 pence the peece 10s. 

 5 January 161 1 — bought at Brussells and in Holland . . . for the rathe 

 ripe portingall quince on[e] tree, 6s. — for the lion's quince tree 3s. — for 

 two great medlar trees of Naples 5s. — for tulipes roots at Harlem at 



1 One of the oldest tulip-trees is at Waltham, in Essex. "The largest 

 and biggest that ever was seen, there being but one other in Great 

 Britain, and that at Lord Peterborough's " (History of Waltham, 

 Farmer, 1735). 



2 Barr's English Daffodil Catalogue, 1893. 



3 From the original MS. in the possession of the Marquess of Salisbury, 

 at Hatfield. 



