OSBORNE 67 



land is very undulating, thus adding much charm to the land- 

 scape. Thousands of trees and shrubs have been planted at 

 various times, a number of which are of great interest, many 

 being rare varieties that are seldom seen on the mainlands 

 Almost if not quite all the members of our Royal Family have 

 planted trees as memorials to mark some happy or sad event. 

 Those chosen for this purpose being chiefly conifers, many 

 of which have made magnificent specimens, as Cupressus 

 Lambertiana, Cupressus Macrocarpa, Cupressus Nootkatensis,, 

 Cupressus funebris, Abies Canadensis, and Abies bracteata. 

 The latter produced its singular cones in 1908. These 

 cones, with their scales and long leaf-like bracts covered with 

 globules of thin transparent resin, presented a curious spectacle. 

 Seeds were obtained of these, from which plants are now 

 growing. 



Very interesting, too, is Athrotaxis Selaginoides, 17 feet 

 6 inches in height. Others are Juniperus sphaerica, Juniperus 

 Japonica variegata, Retinospora plumosa, Retinospora filifera, 

 Pinus insignis and many varieties of evergreen oaks : Quercus 

 ilex, Quercus suber (the Cork Oak) and Quercus lucumbeana 

 among others. The grove of Quercus Suber situated near 

 Barton Manor is exceptionally fine, and the rare evergreen 

 Beech Fagus Cunninghamia, 32 feet in height, 3 feet 10 inches 

 in girth, is said to be the largest specimen in England. 



Myrtles, Camellias, Rhododendrons, Callistemons, Grise- 

 linia and Palms grow freely. One of the Palms, Trachycarpus 

 excelsus, 21 feet in height, 2 feet 4 inches in girth, planted 

 on the lower terrace in i860, is probably one of the oldest 

 specimens of this variety in Great Britain. 



Quercus ilex and Cedrus libani in double rows form the 

 magnificent avenue leading from the main entrance gates to 

 the house ; Cornish Elms forming the avenues to other parts 

 of the estate. As an instance of the wonderful way the 

 Quercus ilex thrives in the island, one specimen growing on 

 the lawns covers a circumference of 82 yards. The bole of 

 this tree rises from the ground 3 feet, and then throws out 

 its main branches to the ground again in a remarkable way. 



