TREES AND GARDENS AT ATHENS. 



295 



fail to attract attention. This tree is unaffected by dust or heat, and 

 it associates well with marble buildings on either side. The specimens 

 selected for street avenue planting should be mainly . female, as the 

 berries are decorative. 



The finest avenue of w^eeping Pepper trees at Athens runs between 

 the Eoyal Palace and the Arch of Hadrian. The street is about 30 feet 

 wide and the trees are 8 to 10 feet apart in the lines. From this 

 pleasantly shaded street one obtains a fine view of the cone-shaped 

 Mount Lyabettos. 



The two principal squares of Athens — the Place de la Constitution 

 and the Place de la Concorde — contain quick-growung trees, such as 

 Cypresses, Oranges, Palms, and Carobs, but nothing of particular 

 interest. 



The remains of what was probably once a small public garden exist 

 near the Theseion. Only drought-resisting trees and shrubs, such as 

 Ligustrum japonicum, Eucalypti, Celtis, Euonymus, and the common 

 Box remain. Caesalpinia Gilliesii, a shrub with Mimosa-like leaves and 

 somewhat striking yellow flow^ers, is plentiful. As in Egypt and in 

 other countries with a dry atmosphere, this Caesalpinia has spread, in 

 spite of drought and neglect. It has lately been highly recommended 

 in Tunis as a bee-plant, but at Athens the bees show a marked prefer- 

 ence for the Wild Thyme, which grows on Mount Hymettos and else- 

 where. 



Nicotiana glauca — the Tree Tobacco — is also becoming naturalized. 

 It is an interesting and singular plant from Buenos Ayres, bearing no 

 resemblance to the ordinary Tobacco, having yellow flowers like a 

 Cestrum and smooth and glaucous leaves not unlike those of Phytolacca 

 dioica. On the Eiviera it is commonly cultivated as an ornamental 

 tree (10 to 30 feet tall). It is natm-alized in many countries. Around 

 Alexandria it forms a conspicuous feature during the summer months 

 when other vegetation has perished from the effects of the heat. In 

 Chios it may be seen growing from cracks in the street pavements. 



The garden attached to the Eoyal Palace at Athens (fig. 103) was laid 

 out by Queen Amalia. It is open to the public on Sunday, Wednesday, 

 and Saturday afternoons. The grounds are watered by means of a canal 

 made in ancient times. Practically the whole garden consists of a 

 thick shrubbery penetrated by winding alleys. The tangled growth is 

 composed mainly of Pines, Cypresses, Ligustrum japonicum, Olive 

 and Pepper trees underplanted with various shrubs, such as the White 

 Jasmine, &c. Near the Palace there is an open space laid down in 

 grass and planted with various Palms, the trunks of one or two of 

 which are covered with Ivy. A pergola (fig. 104), built of stone and iron, 

 is adorned with Eoses, Honeysuckles, and Dioclea glycinoides : the last 

 a slender twining plant with small red flowers. 



The Public Garden is close to the Palace. It consists of a series 

 of crowded shrubberies interspersed with open spaces. Orange trees 

 grown as standards line some of the paths. The Aleppo Pine is used 

 here as a hedge to protect beds of roses. The typical form of Althaea 



