By Thomas Bruges Flower, Esq. 



303 



pious and ingenious Gilpin reposes amidst scenes long blest b}' his 

 pastoral labours, and illustrated by his pen and pencil. 



2. A. Pseudo-platanus, (Linn.) Mock-plane, Great Maple, or 

 Sycamore. Compounded of (pseudos) false, and (plalanos) a plane 

 tree, so called from the similarity of its leaves to those of the 

 " Platanus orientalist the latter is from (plains) broad, from its wide 

 spreading branches whose shade is so much valued in the East. 

 Engl Bot. t. 303. Reich. Icones, 164. 



Locality. Naturalized in hedges and plantations. Tree. Fl 

 May, June. Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduced in all the Districts. 



A handsome tree of broad ample foliage, and highly ornamental 

 in rural scenery, vying in point of magnitude with the oak, the 

 ash, and other trees of the first rank, it presents a grand unbroken 

 mass of foliage contrasting well in appropriate situations, and whren 

 judiciously grouped with trees of a lighter and more airy character, 

 affording as Gilpin expresses it " an impenetrable shade," on which 

 account we often see it planted close to the sunny side of the 

 " Wiltshire dairies," to the coolness of which its presence greatly 

 contributes. 



The spring tints of the sycamore are rich, tender, glowing and 

 harmonious : in summer its deep green hue accords well with its 

 grand and massive form, and the brown and dingy reds of its 

 autumnal tints harmonise well with many of its sylvan brethren. 

 Cowper well describes the ever varying hues of 



" The Sycamore capricious in attire, 

 Now green, now tawny, and ere autumn yet 

 Has changed the woods, in scarlet honours bright." 



This tree is generally supposed to be the sycamore mentioned in 

 Scripture as that on which Zacchseus climbed to see Christ as he 

 passed on his way to Jerusalem ; but the sycamore of the Bible is 

 the u Ficus Sycomorus" of Palestine, or Egyptian Fig tree, common 

 in the East generally. Its fruit which closely resembles figs, is 

 much esteemed, though extremely inferior to that of the true fig 

 ( (( Ficus carica "), which two are the only eatable ones of 200 known 

 species. The wood is said to be indestructible, and is therefore used 

 for Egyptian mummy cases, which have been found in a sound state 

 after the (supposed) laps© of 3000 years. 



