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no The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland A. Fastigiate Forms.—In these the branches take an upward direction (vertical or ascending), and the leaves tend to spread out radially from the branchlets. i. Var. fastigiata, Irish Yew, Florencecourt Yew. Taxus toccata fastigiata, Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. iv. 2066 (1838). Taxus fastigiata, Lindley, Syn. Brit, flora, 241 (1829). Taxus hibernica, Hook, ex Loudon, loc. fit. Columnar and compact in habit, all the branches and branchlets being directed vertically upwards. Branches stout, branchlets few and short. Leaves, always spreading radially in all directions around the branchlets, dark green and shining, with the apex usually more obtuse than in the common yew. Dr. Masters considers the Irish yew to be a juvenile form, 1 in which the characters of the seedling (the radial disposition of the leaves and the upright habit) are preserved throughout the life of the plant. As the original tree was a female, and the variety is propagated by cuttings, all Irish yews are of the same sex. When they bear flowers they are generally fertilised by the pollen of common yews growing in their neighbourhood, and the seed resulting, when planted, generally produces plants indistinguishable from the common yew. 2 Dr. Masters 1 received from Mr. Tillett of Sprowston, near Norwich, sprays of an Irish yew which bore male flowers. This was apparently an instance of a monoecious tree, a phenomenon which occurs though rarely in the common yew. No true male Irish yew has ever been met with. The aril of the Irish yew differs usually from that of the common form in being more oblong in shape. The Irish yew was discovered 3 in the mountains of Fermanagh above Florence- court by a farmer named Willis about the year 1780. He found two plants, one of which he planted in his own garden, and is now no longer living. The other was planted at Florencecourt, the seat of the Earl of Enniskillen ; and from it cuttings were distributed, which are the source of all the Irish yews in cultivation. The original tree is still living, and a figure of it is given in Veitch's Manual, p . 141, as it appeared about thirty years ago. Kent says that in 1900 it had an open straggling appearance. One of the finest Irish yews known to us is that at Seaforde, near dough, Co. Down, the seat of Major W. G. Forde. This tree was reported to be 33 feet high in 1888,* and 35^ feet in 1903. 5 A plate of it is given (Plate 58), reproduced from a photograph kindly sent us by the owner, who reports the present measurements (1905) to be: Height, 37 feet; girth at the ground, 9 feet; circumference of branches at 20 feet from the ground, 91 feet. Two large trees exist at Comber, Co. Down, of which Mr. Justice Andrews gives the following particulars in a letter: "The Irish upright yew trees at Comber, mentioned in Mackay's Flora Hibernica ( 1836), p. 260, are the two large yews" in the garden beside ' Araghmore,' the residence of Mrs. John Andrews. My earliest recollection of them goes back 1 Card. Chron. 1 891, x. 68. 2 Sir C. Stricklancl writes in Card. Chron. 1 877, vii. 151 : "All the plants I have raised from Irish yew berries are exactly like the common yew." But Elwes saw at Orion Hall three seedlings from the Irish yew of which one was fastigiate in habit. 3 Card. Chron. 1 873, p. 1336. 4 Ibid. 1 888, iv. 484. 6 Ibid. 1 903, xxxiii. 60. 6 London figures one of these on p. 2067. Taxus in 60 or 70 years, and they were then apparently as tall as they are now, but not so much spread out. I cannot accurately estimate their height and girth, but they are the two largest upright yews I have seen." At Brockhill, 1 Worcester, there are two large Irish yews, estimated by Mr. Lees to have been at least 100 years old. Very handsome specimens are also growing at Montacute House, Somerset. The Irish yew is very effective as a garden tree, but requires pruning and wiring every two or three years in order to keep it in good shape. There is at Colesborne a terrace planted on both sides with Irish yews about 50 years ago, which are kept in shape by wire, and when so treated are of very uniform growth and habit. Taxus fastigiata aurea is a form of the Irish yew, in which the young shoots are golden yellow. In Taxus fastigiata argentea the tips of the branchlets are white. 2. Var. Chesthiintensis. Taxus baccata Chesthuntensis, Gordon, Pinet. Suppl. 9 8 (1862). This was raised by William Paul of the Cheshunt Nursery from a seed of the Irish yew, which it resembles. The branches, however, are ascending, but not so erect as in the parent form. The leaves have an acute apex, and resemble in colour those of the Irish yew, being dark green and shining on the upper surface ; they are broader and shorter than those of the common yew. It is less formal than the Irish yew, and is said to grow twice as fast. 3. Var. elegantissima.—This was raised, according to Barren, 2 by Fox of the Wetley Rock Nurseries, who had an Irish and a golden yew growing together, from which this came as a seedling. It is generally a dense compact shrub, but forms occur which are more open in habit. The leaves are usually radially spread ing, but are often two-ranked on some of the branchlets; they are long, and terminate gradually in a long, fine cartilaginous point. Young leaves are golden yellow ; adult leaves have white margins. 4. Var. erecta. Taxus baccata erecta, Loudon, loc. cit. 2068 (1838). Taxus baccata Crmvderi, Gordon, Pin. Suppl. 98 (1862). Taxus baccata stricta, Hort. A dense broad shrub with erect and ascending branches. The leaves are dark green, shining, short, and acute; and are usually radially arranged, but often on the lower branchlets are disposed in two ranks. The Nidpath Yew 3 resembles this variety, but is more columnar in habit, with a tendency to spread at the top. The leaves, as seen on a shrub at Kew, are bluish green, and usually are all radially arranged. A variety named imperialis is described as being a slender, tall form with ascending branches and dark green leaves. 1 Trans. Worcester Nat. Hist. Club, 1 847-1896, p. 211. 2 Card. Chron. 1 868, p. 921. Veitch's Manual, 1st ed. 302, states that it was introduced by Messrs. Fisher, Son, and Sibray of the Handsworth Nurseries, near Sheffield. s Nicholson, Diet, of Gardening, iv. 12.
in The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland B. Dwarf forms with, leaves radially arranged on the branchlets. 5. Var. ericoides. Taxus toccata ericoides, Carrifere, Conif. 5 19 (1855). Taxus baccata empetrifolia, H ort. A low shrub with ascending branches. Leaves generally radially arranged, but occasionally two-ranked, uniform in size, falcate, short, acute, tapering to a fine cartilaginous point. 6. Var. nana. Taxus baccata nana, Knight, Syn. Conif. 5 2. Taxus fbxii, Hort. A dwarf shrub. Leaves generally radially arranged, some being two-ranked ; very variable in length, but always short, straight or falcate, often twisted or curved. C. Varieties with leaves distichously arranged, assuming pendiilous, prostrate, and other non-fastigiate habits. 7. Var. Dovastoni, Dovaston Yew. Taxus baccata Dovastoni, Loudon, loc. fit., 2082 (1838). A tree or large shrub, with spreading branches, arising in verticils, and becom ing very pendulous at their extremities. Leaves dark green with an abruptly mucronate apex. An account of the original tree, from which this variety has been propagated, is given in Loudon and in Leighton's Flora of Shropshire} This tree was planted as a seedling about the year 1777 at Westfelton, near Shrewsbury. It was in vigorous health in 1900, and measured then 8 feet 10 inches in girth at 4^ feet from the ground. Nineteen years previously its girth was 7 feet 11 inches. It is described as having a single leader, with branches pendulous to the ground. The original tree is monoecious ; one branch only producing fertile berries, from which seedlings were raised, which reproduced the habit of the parent. 1 Barren * states that all his Dovaston yews are female trees. Carriere 8 sowed seeds of this form on many occasions, and the offspring was always like the common yew, doubtless due to his Dovaston yews being fertilised by the pollen of ordinary yew trees in the vicinity. Carriere further states that MM. Thibaut and Keteleer obtained in 1865, from seeds of this variety, plants which were in the proportion of three- fourths variegated in foliage and one-fourth green; but in no case was the pendulous habit observed. The variegated plants passed into commerce as Dovastoni variegata ; but these were simply ordinary variegated yews. A sub-variety, however, occurs in which the leaves of the Dovaston yew are variegated with yellow; and this is known as var. Dovastoni aureo-variegata. 8. Var. pendiila.—Growing at Kew, this is an irregularly branching wide, low, 1 Card. Chrtm. 1 900, xxvii. p. 146, where a figure and full details of the Dovaston yew are given. 2 Ibid. 1 868, p. 992. He gives the dimensions of the Westfelton tree in 1876 as 34 feet high by 7Jt feet in girth. Garden, ix. 341. 3 Traitigin. des Coniftres, ii. 763 (1867). Taxus 113 dense shrub, making no definite leader, with the tips of the branchlets pendulous. Var. gracilis pendida is said to have the branches and branchlets more elongated, and to attain a larger size than var. pendula. 9. Var. horizontalis. Taxus baccata horizontalis, Knight, Syn. Conif. 5 2 (1850). This resembles the Dovaston yew in the verticillate arrangement of the spread ing branches. The branchlets, however, instead of being pendulous, are turned slightly upwards at the ends of the branches. 10. Var. recurvata. Taxus baccata recurvata, Carriere, Conif. 5 20 (1855). A large shrub, with branches somewhat ascending and elongated, and pendulous branchlets, which bear the leaves so arranged as to be all directed upwards, each leaf being recurved. The leaves resemble those of the Dovaston yew. 11. Var. procumbens. Taxus baccata procumbens, Loudon, loc. cit. 2 067 (1838). A low prostrate shrub, keeping close to the ground, with branches long and ramified. This is distinct from Taxus canadensis in characters of leaves and buds. D. Varieties with leaves distichously arranged, in ^t.vhich the leaves are variously coloured. [2. Var. aurea. Golden Yew. Taxus baccata aurea, Carriere, Conif. 5 18 (1855). A golden yew is mentioned in Plot's History of Staffordshire as occurring in that county in 1686. There are many kinds of golden yew, which are of different origin. The form generally known as aurea is a dense shrub or low tree, with narrow falcate leaves which are variegated with yellow. Golden yews of this kind are said to be all male trees. The original was reared by Lee of Hammersmith, and was afterwards planted at Elvaston Castle. It was monoecious, 1 and from it Barren reared several varieties. The variety known as var. Barroni has the leaves more decidedly yellow than those of the common golden yew; and one form of it is female and bears berries. A great number of variegated yews of different kinds have been raised at Knap Hill, at the Chester Nurseries, and elsewhere. These have been obtained as seed lings in various ways; some were obtained by planting Irish yew amongst common golden yew; in other cases the seed-plants used were varieties like elegantissima, erecta, adpressa, etc. 13. Var. Washingtoni.—A low dense shrub, in which the leaves on the young shoots are golden yellow in colour. 1 According to Barren the tree was a male; but he discovered on it a single branch bearing female flowers. See Card. Chron. 1 868, p. 921 ; also 1882, ii. 238. 1 Q
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»f rees Great Britain Ireland BY H
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Trees of Great Britain Ireland BY H
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PREFACE THE United Kingdom offers a
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CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION ........ v
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The Trees of Great Britain and Irel
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The Trees of Great Britain and Irel
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Page 29 and 30: SOPHORA Sophora, Linnaeus, Gen. PI.
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Page 113 and 114: a 7" KSrJi «£^«~ **». . "" ^ '"
Page 115 and 116: INARCHED BP;ECH AT ASIIRIDGE TLATE
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13KECII WOOD AT SLINHON A ru 6.
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BEECH AT NEWBATTLE Pi .ATE 8.
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I BEECH AT GORDON CASTLE TLAI-K 10.
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KING BEECH AT KNOLE I'LAIE 12.
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AILANTHUS AT BELTON PLATE 14.
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SOI'HORA AT CAMBRIDGE PLATE 16.
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ARAUCARIA FOREST IN CM ILK I'l.MT.
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ARAUCARIAS AT BEAUFORT
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MAIDENHAIR T liEK AT FKOGMOKF. PLAT
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TULIP TREE IN NORTH CAROLINA 1'LATE
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TULIP TREE AT KILLERTON PLATE 26.
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PLATE SERVIAN SPRUCE IN BOSNIA 28.
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MENZIES' SPRUCE AT BEAUFORT PLATE 3
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YEW AVENUE AT MIDIIURST PLATE 32.
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i '*m i t /n b &; y'JM i /Jk, - •
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•• *-' YEW AT WHITTIKGHAME PLAT
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CRYPTOMERIA FOREST IN NORTH JAPAN 1
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CRYPTOMEKIAS AT IMAICHI I'l.ATE 40.
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CRYPTOMERIA AT HEMSTED PLATK 42.
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PYRUS. PLATE 44.
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SORB TREE AT ARLEV PLATE 46.
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SERVICE TREE AT RICKMANSWORTH >.mmm
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'^iji^m^^Jt^.^M. SERVICE TREE AT SY
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DECIDUOUS CYPRESS IN VIRGINIA PLATE
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DECIDUOUS CYPRESS AT SYON Tr.ATE 54
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GIANT THUYA IN VANCOUVER'S ISLAND P
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Plate 58 represents the trunk of wh
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j« WESTERN HEMLOCK GROWING ON FALL
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