THE VEGETATION OF THE ISLAND OF ST. LEGER. 



509 



an Araucaria Bidwillii. This last, 15 feet high, with a trunk of over 

 6 inches in diameter, passes the winter covered with straw matting, 

 with an opening only towards the full south. 



The place now occupied by the Cupressus in the middle of the 

 Araucarias formerly contained an Araucaria excelsa, which was still 

 more vigorous than A. Bidwillii, so the gardener thought it would stand 

 the winter even without cover, and left it to die in consequence. The 

 same may be said of a Brahea Roezlii glauca and a Pritchardia filifera, 

 which were both victims of the audacity of the gardener; they had 

 become magnificent specimens and stood our winters wonderfully well, 

 with only a thick layer of sand at the foot and matting as for the 

 A. Bidwillii. In fact, after such a success, my motherly heart bled 

 badly when I saw them gone. 



Beyond the Araucaria Bidwillii stands first Finns longifolia and 

 Sequoia gigantea, and then comes the pride of the island in the 

 shape of nineteen magnificent Eucalyptus amygdalina, which, planted 

 twenty-two years ago, have now attained the height of 80 to 82 feet, 

 with a maximum diameter of trunk of about 2 feet. 



These Eucalypti had a rather trying youth, and are the survivors 

 of many dozens. The belief here is general that this genus of 

 plants, which in the south of Italy is almost always planted in 

 swampy places, can not only stand the water, but that it is almost 

 aquatic. This leads local gardeners to entertain the erroneous idea that 

 they can stand submergence, and therefore can, without the slightest 

 inconvenience, suffer the variations in height of water our lake, is 

 always subject to through the snow melting in the Alps and rushing 

 down the rivers into it. The baby Eucalypti (rarely obtainable in 

 nurseries taller than 3 to 4 feet) were planted at the very edge of the 

 water, and therefore regularly submerged, and this, if only for a few 

 hours, makes them turn yellow and die. The gardeners, though, would 

 Dot admit that the water was the cause of it, until I insisted on having 

 a small batch of them kept in tubs until they reached the height of 

 about 10 feet; and these, when planted out, stood the water quite well. 



They now look wonderfully well with their white trunks and the 

 light green leaves, showing off well against the darker forms of the 

 Coniferae behind them, and when their bark, which they throw off 

 every year, loosens itself and hangs down in long streaks, one might 

 imagine oneself walking under the lianas of a virgin forest. 



In a corner, quite close to these last and almost in the water, 

 half a dozen Liquidavihar styraciflua have been planted, and the effect 

 they produce in autumn, when their leaves turn all colours from bright 

 yellow to dark red, is a very happy one. These plants are so accom- 

 modating as regards soil and position, and are therefore so easy to 

 grow, that it is difficult to understand why they are not more exten- 

 sively employed and met with in landscape gardening. 



On the opposite side a small group of Taxodium distichum is to be 

 found, but these, quite contrary to my expectations, are by no means 

 a success : instead of having a straight and tapering growth, they 



