6 Edinburgh's Park and other Trees. [Sess. 



by the genera Pyrus, Crataegus, and Laburnum. Pyrus 

 pinnatifida, a tree which grows wild in Arran, has in some 

 cases reached large dimensions, and in Boyal Terrace Gardens 

 there are specimens with stems over 7 feet in girth at a height 

 of 5 feet from the ground. Another species (which also grows 

 wild in Arran) which thrives extremely well in Edinburgh is 

 P. intermedia (Plate III.) It has been extensively planted, 

 especially in the public parks, and it seems to be practically 

 proof against atmospheric impurities which operate so pre- 

 judicially on some of the other kinds. It is a very beautiful 

 tree when in flower, and as it does not grow to a greater size 

 than the common thorn, it is an exceedingly useful subject for 

 planting in squares and open spaces of limited area where 

 larger-growing kinds would be out of place. The white beam 

 (P. Aria) occurs in various shapes, from a scrubby bush on 

 the face of the Calton Craig to a beautiful symmetrical tree 

 in Charlotte Square Gardens, but it is not plentiful. Its 

 Himalayan representative, P. vestita, which differs from P. Aria 

 in having much larger foliage, has been planted in some of 

 the public parks, and it seems, so far, to be thriving well, but, 

 of course, it is on its trial, and it remains to be seen whether 

 it will continue to do so. P. rotundifolia, a near relative of 

 the white beam, also thrives well, but it is much less frequently 

 seen than any of the other pyruses. It is a very beautiful tree 

 when well grown, and deserves particular attention as a subject 

 for town planting. These belong to the Aria section of the 

 genus. The only other species of Pyrus which need be noted 

 is the mountain ash (P. aucuparia), which belongs to the 

 Sorbus or true service-tree section. It is fairly common and 

 generally succeeds well, although in the more central parts of 

 the city it does not seem to make such good progress as 

 P. intermedia. The genus Prunus is represented by the 

 common gean {Prunus Avium) and its double -flowered form, 

 but neither is very much in evidence, and, except in 

 private gardens, the double-flowered form is far too rarely 

 met with. 



The common hawthorn (Crataegus Oxyacantha) and some 

 of its varieties occur very frequently, and both in the central 

 and the suburban parts of the city they grow well ; in fact, the 

 thorn is one of the best of the smaller trees for town planting, 



