1969

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Chapter 3 - The Central Estate - Reed Hall

The terraces below Reed Hall | The lawns of Reed Hall | The terraces and slopes above Reed Hall | The pinetum | The rock garden and its surroundings, Reed Pond

In 1866 a house on what was the original Duryard Estate, Duryard Lodge, had been sold by the trustees of Samuel Kingdon, a wealthy Exonian, to Richard Thornton West, an East Indian merchant who had lived for many years in Batavia. Thornton West had inherited over a million pounds from his uncle Richard Thornton who, it is believed, had made a fortune by blockade running in the Napoleonic wars.

Richard Thornton West, whose name is today associated with West Avenue and Thornton Hill in the City, had Streatham Hall built on the site of the original Duryard Lodge which was largely pulled down to be replaced by the Victorian Italianate house now known as Reed Hall. It is believed, incidentally, that £80,000 was spent on the house itself and £70,000 on laying out and improving the estate.

Thornton West had the grounds laid out and planted by the local branch of the firm of Veitch which had become one of the leading horticulturists in the country. A John Veitch who was born in Jedburgh about 1770 came to Devon to lay the grounds at Killerton for Sir Thomas Acland. Sir Thomas ultimately made him agent of estates and encouraged him to establish his own nursery garden at Budlake. John Veitch's son James developed a nursery at Mount Radford in Exeter while another member of the family founded the Royal Nurseries, Chelsea. The Veitches sent out collectors to many parts of the world among them Fortescue, Wilson and the Lobb brothers. Peter Veitch, a grandson of James, also visited Australasia on collecting missions.

Unfortunately, no record remains of the transactions between Richard Thornton West and the firm of Veitch but clearly the estate owes much to their skill and knowledge. The arboretum contains specimens of trees from all the temperate regions of the world. Indeed, at the time of planting, many of the specimens may well have been unique in Europe. Many of the larger specimens are certainly of the original planting but, clearly, further plantings took place from time to time.

Behind the house is a series of terraces carefully planted with trees and shrubs and traversed by balustraded stone steps. In front of these are lawns some of which have replaced a group of conservatories. Fig. 4 shows the lawns to the south and east of Streatham Hall as they appeared in 1899.

After the comparatively early death in 1901 of Richard Bowerman West, the son of Richard Thornton West, the estate had been neglected almost to the point of being derelict when it was taken over by the College in 1922. Nevertheless, the acquisition of the estate brought to the University a very fine collection of mature trees and shrubs.

The terraces below Reed Hall

Immediately opposite the south front of the house there are half-a-dozen very fine specimens of the hiba, Thujopsis dolabrata, a Japanese tree introduced into this country in 1853. Clearly these specimens must be older than most of the other plants of this species in this country. It is one of the arbor-vitae group and grows to a height of over 80 ft in its native land where it is a valuable timber tree. The best specimen here is just over half this height. The species is a beautiful evergreen which is hardly only in the milder, western parts of the country. It has a broad pyramidal habit with ascending branches and flat branchlets spreading horizontally. The leaves are opposite, acute, lustrous dark green with a silvery underside (Fig. 6).

Associated with these trees are some remarkable specimens of variegated weeping hollies, or Ilex aquifolium 'Argenteo-marginata pendula'. At the time when these gardens were being planted, the holly seems to have been particularly popular and a very wide range of different varieties of this plant is to be found in the grounds. These specimens have the characteristic red berries though there are others with yellow berries.

On the terrace below the hibas and hollies there is a well grown specimen of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Wissellii'. This variety has reddish staminate cones and, in the spring, looks almost as if it were in flower. It is one of the many cultivars of this species. The Lawson's cypress is a native of the mountains of south-west Oregon and north-west California where it is a valuable timber tree growing to height of 200 ft. As it was introduced into this country in 1854, the two specimens at the bottom of the flight of stone steps before the West front of the house - the Diana steps - must also be among the oldest in the country. It is a widely planted decorative tree and has given rise to it great range of garden forms of which there are some half-dozen in the grounds, including 'Erecta', 'Filiformis', 'Fletcheri' as well as 'Wissellii'.

The cypresses and junipers, members of the family Cupressaceae, are very variable being trees or shrubs belonging to sixteen genera and over a hundred species widely distributed throughout the world but mostly in the northern hemisphere. They are all evergreen and the foliage has a needle shaped juvenile form and a scale like adult form, adpressed to the stem (Figs. 8 and 14). In some species, commonly known as Retinospora, the foliage retains the juvenile form and the leaves are awl-like and in whorls of three or four, not decussate. The pollen grains are not winged. The ovulate cones may be hard and woody and are shaped like small maces in the genera Cupressus (Fig. 7) and Chamaecyparis (Fig. 9), or upright like small Christmas candles in Thuja (Fig. 10). In the genus Juniperus, however, the scales are more or less fleshy and the cone is berry like.

On the lowest terrace, above the balustrade, there are two members of the family Eucryphiaceae namely Eucryphia glutinosa and E. X nymansensis. The latter is a hybrid between E. glutinosa and E. cordifolia and was found in the gardens of Nymans in Sussex about the time of the first World War; it is evergreen like the cordifolia parent. E. glutinosa is a deciduous shrub from Chile and is probably the hardiest of the species; it was formerly called E. pinnatifolia. It is a very beautiful shrub flowering in July when many shrubs are past their best. These specimens never fail to give a magnificent display with their large white flowers, each with a cluster of conspicuous stamens.

Next to the eucryphias is a Himalayan cypress, Cupressus torulosa (Fig. 7), a timber tree from the western Himalaya where it grows to a height of 150 feet. This tree, introduced into this country in 1824, has a graceful habit and grows well in the milder regions of the West Country. Adjacent to it on the terrace is a mountain hemlock, Tsuga mertensiana, a member of the Pinaceae. The species is native to the Pacific seaboard of North America and forms a large tree of 100 feet high in its native land. Again, since this species was introduced into Britain in 1854, this must be one of the oldest specimens in the country. Though most attractive, it is exceedingly slow-growing and this specimen has reached only some 20 feet in height. Like the cypresses it has a diffuse branch system and does not develop the well-marked single stem characteristic of many other conifers.

The family of the Pinaceae, which is the largest in the Coniferales in number of species, consists mainly of evergreen trees, all native to the northern hemisphere. The most widespread of the deciduous genera are Larix and Pseudolarix. The branches are characteristically whorled, with linear leaves spirally arranged. In the genus Pinus the branches are of two kinds, long shoots and spur shoots. The leaves are borne on the spur shoots usually in twos, threes or fives though there are two species with respectively one and four leaves per spur shoot. The whole spur shoot and its leaves drop and are not replaced. In the genera Cedrus and Larix there are also two types of shoots but in these the spur shoots persist and new leaves develop on them. On the first-named (Fig. 58) the leaves persist throughout the year so that the plant is evergreen, on the latter (Fig. 27) they fall in autumn and the branches are bare throughout the winter.

In a corner near the Tsuga is one of the slowest growing trees in the garden, Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Andelyensis' (Fig. 8), a native of eastern North America and now only 10 feet high after nearly 100 years. This so-called white cypress, with a neat columnar habit, has for a near neighbour one of the oldest specimens in this country of the Hinoki cypress, Chamaecyparis obtusa, (Fig. 9), a Japanese tree which grows in that country to a height of over 100 feet. It was introduced to Britain by G. Veitch in 1861. In its native country it yields valuable timber but in this country it is slow growing and purely ornamental. In Japan it is the sacred tree of the Shinto religion, being cultivated in the monastery gardens, while the timber is used to make coffins for the adherents of the faith. It is, moreover, grown as a dwarf tree or 'bonsai', as are Pinus parviflora and P. densiflora.

On the other side of the stairway there is a specimen of the glaucous form of Abies procera. Every year it produces a crop of cones each a foot in height and held erect among the blue-grey foliage. This specimen was planted some forty years ago. There is a much older specimen of the same species on the south side of the rock garden in the pinetum which is among the trees originally planted by Veitch. The species is native to the Pacific coast of America and was introduced into this country by Douglas in 1830. It grows well in this country and produces large numbers of cones which are the largest of the fir cones and are very impressive. The cones of the firs (Abies spp.) are borne upright on the branches (Fig. 47) while those of the spruces (Picea spp.) are pendulous (Fig. 16), a useful character in distinguishing the genera. Moreover, when the leaves of the firs fall they leave a smooth leaf-scar, while the stem of the spruces retains peg-like projections after leaf-fall. Both firs and spruces differ from the pines, the cedars and the larches in having only long shoots. Next to the noble fir is a specimen of the west Himalayan spruce, Picea smithiana, first introduced into Scotland in 1818. The branches are pendulous and thus give the plant a characteristic appearance. The leaves are among the longest found in the spruces. This tree is also about forty years old and a much older specimen of the original planting is to be found on the terrace on the east side of the Hall.

On the opposite side of the drive from these two trees there is an oval bed with three specimen Plants. The first is the Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica, (Plate 1a) a member of the Taxodiaceae. Native to Japan, where it is used as a timber tree and may attain a height of over 150 feet, it was introduced into this country in the 1840s by Fortune. In the milder parts of the country it forms a very fine specimen tree but has not been much grown for timber in this country. There is only one species in the genus though there is a variety, C. japonica 'Elegans', which was introduced by Veitch in 1861. This variety retains the juvenile type of foliage which is softer and more slender than that of the type species. There is a specimen, again probably as old as any in this country, above the rock garden at Reed Hall.

Beside this tree there are two species of Viburnum, namely Viburnum rhytidophyllum and V. henryi of the Caprifollaceae. They are both evergreen shrubs from China and both were brought to this country for Veitches at the beginning of this century. The former is a hardy and striking shrub with large leathery leaves wrinkled and glossy on the upper surface and downy on the underside. Like all the Viburnum species it has naked terminal buds and produces flower buds in the late autumn which remain dormant during the winter. V. henryi is fairly hardy and has long rather narrow smooth leaves. In summer it bears large panicles of small white flowers. Close to these trees there is a small plant of Juniperus communis 'Oblonga pendula' which has an unusual drooping habit.

On the terrace below the balustrade and further to the south and west, there is a very fine example of the Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica, this one being the 'Glauca' form with its well-marked deposit of wax on the needles. The cedars as has been noted are evergreen conifers of the family Pinaceae and are characterised by having both long and spur shoots, the leaves being largely on the persistent spur shoots. Timber trees in their native countries, they are grown for decorative purposes in this country. There are three main species, C. atlantica, C. deodora and C. libani, all closely related and considered by some to be only geographical subspecies of one variable species. C. atlantica is pyramidal in shape when young but tends to become more flat-topped as it grows older. It is a native of Algeria and Morocco and was first brought to this country in 1844. It is quite hardy and is much grown as a decorative tree.

The immediate neighbour of the Atlas cedar is the western arbor-vitae, Thuja plicata, a member of the Cupressaceae. This is also a native of western North America particularly of British Columbia and Oregon where it grows to a great height - up to 200 feet - yielding a most valuable timber known as western red cedar. The wood is very durable and is used for house building and for roofing shingles. The timber is light and weathers to an attractive grey colour and requires no preservative treatment. This tree was brought to this country in 1853 by Veitch. It tends to be pyramidal in shape and to have a series of upright branches rather than a single main stem, while the leaves are pleasantly aromatic.

Further along the terrace there is a specimen of the Bishop pine, Pinus muricata. This is one of the two well-known Californian pines, the other being the Monterey pine, P. radiata. Both have a very restricted range in their native Monterey peninsula and are resistant to a high degree of salinity. The cones of both remain for many years unopened on the branches, a characteristic and diagnostic feature (Figs. 11, 12). P. muricata has its needles in pairs on the spur shoots while those of P. radiata are in threes.

Next to the Bishop pine grows a large strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, a member of the heather family, the Ericaceae. A native of the Mediterranean, it is naturalised in the South West and seedlings appear commonly in many parts of the University Estate. The two specimens by the balustrade, one on each side of the Diana Steps, had attained a height of over 20 feet when the top ten feet or so of each was broken off in gales some years ago. The fruits, which are red to orange in colour, superficially resemble strawberries, hence the name of the plant. It is evergreen and the white bell-like flowers are borne in panicles from October to December as the fruits of the previous year are ripening and developing their rich colour. The fruit is much eaten by birds. Beside this particular tree is a Nootka cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

The horse-chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, of the Hippocastanaceae of which a specimen is growing nearby is so well-known that it requires no description here. The horse-chestnut is not a native of Britain although it is so widely grown. Its home is probably Greece and it was introduced into western Europe, including Britain, only in the early part of the 17th century. It is highly decorative, hence its popularity, though it yields timber of no great value. Below this group of trees there are three plants of special interest. The first is Colletia cruciata, a Brazilian member of the Rhamnaceae with formidable thorns (Fig. 13). The second is a well-grown plant of Oleria macrodonta of the Compositae, one of the New Zealand daisy bushes and the third is the bay tree Laurus nobilis, a member of the Lauraceae. The two specimens of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana below the stairway have already been referred to as being among the oldest in the country. On the other side of the stairway there is the second specimen of Arbutus unedo, mentioned above and a tiger-tail spruce, Picea polita of the Pinaceae.

The lawns of Reed Hall

On the lawns at the east side of Reed Hall there are two specimens of the golden yew, Taxus baccata 'Aurea', of the Taxaceae. Some authorities consider that there is only a single widely distributed species of Taxus and that the varieties are mutations or geographical variants. The yew is one of the only three conifers native to Britain. It was a most valuable tree in Britain in the Middle Ages and the wood was used in making the long bow. It is believed to have been at an earlier time a sacred tree of the druids. In Christian times it has been traditionally associated with Easter, possibly because of its evergreen habit. It is one of the longest lived trees, probably the longest in this country, and some specimens are reputed to be nearly 1,000 years old. The foliage is poisonous to cattle and the toxic properties are not lost as the leaves wither. The so-called yew berries - strictly arils - are sweet and edible and it is the seeds proper which are poisonous. It is a hardy tree and is widely distributed throughout Britain. Many garden varieties have been selected over the years and grown in gardens.

Near the yews is a specimen of the Chinese juniper Juniperus chinensis, a member of the Cupressaceae. This tree is a native of northern China and Japan where it grows to a height of 60 feet. Old specimens typically have juvenile needles as well as the adult scale leaves (Fig. 14). It was introduced into this country in 1804 and, being hardy, is one of the commonest junipers in cultivation. There are many garden forms.

On the other side of the lawn is another tree of the tiger-tail spruce of Japan, Picea polita (Figs. 15 and 16). This also is an introduction of J. G. Veitch in 1861 so that these specimens may again be among the oldest in Britain. The tree here is just under fifty feet high. This species grows very slowly and though it may attain a height of 60 feet in its native country does not do so in Britain. The tiger-tail spruce has a generally stiff habit and very sharp points on the leaves. It can readily be identified among the spruces by grasping the leafy shoot. Beside it there is another specimen of a garden form of Lawson's cypress.

The terraces and slopes above Reed Hall

Standing conspicuously between the steps and the northern end of the first terrace is possibly the most interesting tree in this collection, the bristle-cone or Santa Lucia fir, Abies bracteata. This is another introduction of 1853 and so this specimen and the one at the top of the drive to the Hall must be as old as any in Britain. It is native to the Santa Lucia mountains of California and is said to be becoming scarce in the wild state. It is not particularly frost-resistant but in the milder western parts of the country, as here, it makes a beautiful specimen tree with its long sweeping branches. This particular tree is supposed to be one of the finest specimens of the species in Europe and has attained a height of over 100 feet with a girth of 11 feet (Plate 1b). The cone retains its bract scales as well as the ovuliferous scales, the former forming bristle-like projections 2 to 3 inches long which, being persistent, give the cone a most characteristic appearance.

There are three shrubs of note near the Santa Lucia fir. Cornus capitata of the Cornaceae is a Himalayan shrub which is evergreen and produces in summer clusters of inconspicuous flowers subtended by yellow bracts and followed by strawberry-like fruits. Crinodendrum hookerianum of the Elacocarpaceae, a native of Chile, bears pendulous crimson flowers which gave rise to its common name - the lantern tree (Fig. 17). Clerodendrum fargesii, a deciduous shrub of the Verbenaceae, was first noticed in its native China by Pere Farges, a French Missionary. It is a vigorous grower and produces large numbers of suckers. The leaves have an unpleasant smell when bruised but the white flowers, borne in cymes on the ends of the branches, are very fragrant and the turquoise blue berries which are about the size of a pea are most striking as they are subtended by five calyx segments (Plate 7c).

Immediately behind the Santa Lucia fir, on the next terrace there is a specimen of the Chinese fir Cunninghamia lanceolata (Fig. 18) an evergreen tree native to China. It is a member of the Taxodiaceae. It can grow to a height of 100 feet but is barely hardy in this country and is easily damaged by frost. It has a superficial resemblance to the monkey puzzles and has been called the Chinese monkey puzzle.

On the same terrace as the Cunninghamia, flanking the stairway, are two specimens of the white cedar or arbor-vitae, Thuja occidentalis, a native of eastern North America. This species differs from the western red cedar in its less vigorous growth and the uniformly green undersurfaces of the leaves.

Close to the top of the steps is a large holm oak, Quercis ilex, of the Fagaceae, one of the evergreen oaks of the Mediterranean region. Trees of this species have been grown in England for more than four hundred years. It has leaves of variable shape, mostly narrow and lanceolate though occasionally more or less lobed. It is popular for decorative purposes but the timber is of little value.

A few yards above the holm oak is a very interesting oak, Quercus acuta, which is here no more than a shrub, though in its native Japan it becomes a tree up to 40 feet high. It was introduced into this country in 1878, and this specimen was planted some forty years ago. It is evergreen and has leaves with entire margins, somewhat reminiscent of those of the cherry-laurel. It does not, superficially, resemble the oaks of the western world (Fig. 19).

Nearby is an oriental spruce, Picea orientalis, another member of the Pinaceae. The leaves are very small and dark coloured. It was introduced into Britain from its native Caucasus in 1839. Its neighbour, a monkey puzzle or Chile pine, Araucaria araucana of the Araucariaceae, is one of the conifers of the southern hemisphere. The species of this genus are dioecious, that is, the staminate and ovulate cones are borne on different trees. The ovulate cones are very large. A native of Chile, it was introduced into England at the end the 18th century. It is not much use as a timber tree in this country but has been much grown as a decorative tree because of the geometric arrangement of the branchlets. Unlike most evergreen conifers, which drop their leaves when these are two or three years old, the monkey puzzle tends to retain its leaves until the whole branch dies and falls, with the result that old trees have long bare main stems. The name monkey puzzle is said to have originated in Cornwall.

At the north end of the third terrace, not far from the monkey puzzle, is a large deodar or Himalayan cedar, Cedrus deodara, native to the western Himalaya where it may attain a height of 250 feet. It was introduced into this country in 1831 and grows well in the milder parts of Britain. The Atlas and Lebanon cedars are difficult to tell apart but the deodar has a distinctive appearance, in that the ends of the branches tend to be pendulous. Like the other two it has long and spur shoots and the spur shoots are persistent.

A short distance away, above the terraces, is a very large specimen of the tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima, a hardwood tree of the family Simaroubaceae. This is a native of north China and was introduced into Britain about the middle of the 18th century. It has proved a useful tree for urban planting and is quick growing. Its very long pinnate leaves are somewhat reminiscent of those of the walnuts (Fig. 20). The plants are unisexual but the tree is readily propagated from suckers.

Below the tree of heaven is a small specimen of a variety of the Nootka cypress, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis.

Near the tree of Heaven is another monkey puzzle. Farther up the slope is a Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, of the Pinaceae. A native of western North America, this species was introduced into Britain by Douglas in 1827 and has proved to be a valuable timber tree. It is, therefore, extensively grown as a forest tree throughout the country. In its native habitat it can attain a height of up to 250 feet with a girth of over 10 feet. There is another form, the Colorado Douglas fir, P. menziesii var. glauca, introduced into this country in 1884, which is grown as a decorative tree rather than for its timber (see P. 31). A characteristic feature of the Douglas fir is the persistent bract scales of the cones. These grow into three-pronged structures which occur only in this genus. In most other genera of the Pinaceae the bract and ovuliferous scales are fused.

There are two specimens of the cow's tail pine or Japanese plum-yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia of the Cephalotaxaceae, one on either side of the path close to the monkey puzzle and Douglas fir. This form of the species is not known in the wild state, but has long been cultivated in Japan, whence it was brought to Europe by Siebold about 1829. The present species and C. fortuni, mentioned below (p. 50), are both dioeclous.

A few yards to the south-east is a wellingtonia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, a member of the Taxodiaceae. This Californian tree is sometimes placed in the same genus as the related Californian redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. The wellingtonia is an evergreen which in its native habitat may attain a height of over 300 feet. It was first introduced into England in 1853 by one of Veitch's collectors, W. Lobb. Some of the Californian specimens are over 3,000 years old and are the largest and oldest living organisms. Many have been destroyed but those that remain are now protected by Federal laws. The bark is remarkably thick and spongy. There are some very fine trees of this species on the University Estate, notably one below the rock garden at Reed Hall, and some in the grounds of Thomas Hall and of the Duryard Halls of residence.

Our largest native coniferous tree is the Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. There are several specimens of this tree near the wellingtonia, and others in different parts of the Estate. It is a two-leaved pine, that is, the needle-shaped leaves are borne in pairs on the spur shoots. It can grow to a height of 100 feet. The reddish brown bark and the blue-green foliage are characteristic. This is the most widely distributed of the pines and its range extends from Scotland across Europe and Siberia. It is a valuable timber tree and yields the soft-wood known as 'yellow deal'. It was the main tree in the old Caledonian forest which once covered much of the north of Scotland. The pine plays a part in many old legends, and in Scottish folklore was supposed to have provided the witches' broom sticks.

The Monterey cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa, of which specimens can be seen near the Scots pines, is a forest tree in its native California whence it was introduced into this country in 1838. It grows to a height of some 100 feet in this country and there are a number of very fine specimens on the University Estate including several in the grounds of Thomas Hall. It is a fast-growing tree which does well in coastal districts and hence in the past has often been used as a hedge plant, for which it is most unsuitable. Though it grows well in this and other countries, its native range is restricted to a few square miles in the Monterey peninsula.

Until recently there was a very fine specimen of the Mexican pine, Pinus montezumae, growing in this terrace. This tree is native to Mexico where it attains a height of 70 feet. It has needles which may be more than 12 inches long borne in fives on the spur shoots. It is not hardy, however, and although this specimen had been growing for almost 100 years and was some 50 feet high, it was desiccated by the east winds which struck it when the copse behind it was cut down to permit building development in the middle 1950s. Other trees which suffered similarly were the Japanese red pine, Pinus densiflora, and the Japanese white pine, P. parviflora. Specimens of P. montezumae and P. densiflora have been planted elsewhere on the Estate in more sheltered positions. Another specimen of P. parviflora of the original planting above Reed Hall is described below (p. 18).

Just behind the wall of the old garden of Reed Hall there is a very good specimen of the Indian bean, Catalpa bignonioides of the Bignoniaceae, a native of the eastern United States. One of the most beautiful of the flowering trees, it bears leaves 8 inches or so long and as much across, and the racemes of flowers superficially resemble those of the horse chestnut (Plate 3b). It is reasonably hardy, and its tolerance of urban conditions is well illustrated by the many specimens which have been planted in the London parks.

There are some interesting trees and shrubs on the lower terraces overlooking the lawns of Reed Hall to the south of the main flight of steps. Not far from the steps is a Himalayan spruce, Picea smithiana. This is a much taller specimen than the one in front of Reed Hall, being nearly 60 feet high. Next to it is another specimen of the wellingtonia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, described above and beside this is a plant of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Lycopodiodes'. On the terraces around these trees are plants of Gaultheria shallon, Rhododendron obtusum var. amoenum and R. racemosum, all members of the Ericaceae The first of these the shallon or wintergreen, is a low-growing evergreen shrub forming a dense mat of vegetation and spreading by underground suckers. The flowers are bell-shaped and pink-flushed, the fruits dark purple berries. It was introduced by Douglas in 1826 from western North America and grows well in shade. There are specimens in the botanic garden of an intergeneric hybrid between this genus and Pernettya called X GauIthettya wisleyensis. Rhododendron obtusum is another evergreen shrub introduced from Japan in 1845. The branches tend to grow horizontally and it also is tolerant of shade. In spring and early summer the branches are covered with masses of small rosy-purple flowers which make it a most attractive plant. R. racemosum is also evergreen, a native of western China introduced into this country in the late 19th century. This plant, and several of the same species at Lopes Hall, were grown from seed and are about thirty years old. The flowers are pale pink in colour and appear in early spring.

Associated with these plants there are others, notably bamboos and some young specimens of the Chilean fire-bush, Embothrium coccineum, a member of the Proteaceae. Introduced by W. Lobb from Chile in l846, when well grown this makes a most striking small tree with an abundance of brilliant scarlet flowers (Plate 4a). It is not hardy but, with protection, is well worth growing in the milder western parts of the country as few flowering trees are more impressive. There are also several varieties of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, including a plant of the golden form. This is on the lowermost terrace with the Rhododendron species and near it is a specimen of the Spanish fir, Abies pinsapo. This plant is native to a small area in Granada and grows well on a calcareous soil. It was introduced into England in the early part of the 14th century and makes a very striking tree when young, as the branchlets are arranged with geometrical precision on the branches. Unfortunately, it tends to lose its lower branches as it grows older and mature specimens are somewhat ragged in appearance. The leaves contain a significant amount of saponin and are used as a substitute for soap by the spanish peasantry.

Above the terraces is a group of trees of the original (1867) planting. Near the path is an incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens (Libocedrus decurrens) of the Cupressaceae. It is not properly a cedar despite its name, but when the resin is burnt it has a perfume reminiscent of incense. Yet again, this specimen must be one of the oldest in the country, as C. decurrens was first brought to Britain from Oregon in 1853. The tree is quite hardy and is commonly grown for decorative purposes. It has a remarkable columnar habit but is rather slow-growing. It attains a height of 150 feet in the Sierra Nevada but does not grow quite so tall in this country. The wood has no special value as timber but is very fragrant.

Near the Calocedrus is a specimen of the Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica. Above this tree and another specimen of Monterey cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa, and oriental spruce, Picea orientalis, is a purple beech, Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea'. The common beech is a well-known native of this country which can grow to a height of over 100 feet and has a dense canopy of leaves in summer. The purple form has been found apparently wild in various parts of Europe. Seedlings from the coloured form may have green foliage.

One of the most interesting trees in this part of the Estate is the Japanese white pine, Pinus parviflora, introduced by J. G. Veitch in 1861. In its native Japan it makes a tree about 60 feet high but in this country it grows only to about half that height. It is one of the five-leaved pines, and bears its ovulate cones in groups of three or four. These are about two inches long and persist on the branches for some years, the scales opening widely. The branches tend to grow horizontally. It is a very beautiful tree, and this specimen must be among the oldest in Britain.

Below the Japanese white pine is another Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, a wellingtonia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, and an oriental spruce, Picea orientalis. Close to the last two trees is a plant of particular interest, a seedling of Abies bracteata which grew from a seed from the tree already noted on the lower terrace behind Reed Hall. During the war of 1939-45 it was not possible to devote much labour to grass-cutting in the ornamental parts of the gardens and many seedlings which would normally have been cut down before they reached any size grew into useful plants. As this is one of the rarer species in the collection, it has been allowed to grow and is now an attractive specimen. On the other side of the spruce is a bush of Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. drupacea. This is the wild form of the species, native in the mountain forests of Japan, and found also in central China. It was brought to Europe by Siebold at the same time as the japanese cultivated form mentioned above.

Near the path leading from the eastern corner of the lawns of Reed Hall to the Queen's Drive near Northcote House are a number of trees of the Turkey oak, Quercus cerris, a native of southern Europe and Asia Minor. This deciduous tree was brought to Britain in the early part of the 17th century and, being capable of growing rapidly to a great size, was widely planted. The timber is little esteemed, but there are some very fine specimens around the University Estate, notably those near Northcote House and Mardon Hall. It is, incidentally, one of the parents of the Exeter oak, Quercus X hispanica 'Lucombeana', described in Chapter 4.

Beyond the path there is another incense cedar and a further oriental spruce. Towards the pinetum there are two small plants of the redwood, Sequoia sempervirens. This tree, like the wellingtonia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, is a native of a narrow belt in California where it yields a most valuable timber. It is now protected by law in its native state. The lowermost leaves (Fig. 22) are markedly different from those of the wellingtonia (Fig. 21), but the upper leaves of large specimens are said to be much more like those of that tree.

The redwood was introduced into Britain in 1846. In this country it is grown mainly as a decorative tree though some commercial stands have been developed. One of its interesting features is the ability, unusual in conifers, to develop shoots from the base when the tree is cut down, a characteristic more commonly found among hard-wood trees. A tree of this species was cut down in 1952 in the grounds of Hope Hall and half-a-dozen stems have now grown from the old stump.

Nearby is another wellingtonia and then a Scots pine. Below them is a specimen of the painted maple, Acer pictum, of the Aceraceae. It is native to Japan and China and was introduced towards the end of last century by J. G. Veitch. It is a deciduous tree, as are all the maples, and the leaves are highly coloured in spring and again in autumn. This specimen and one just above the pond have many adventitious shoots developing from the exposed main roots.

Above the rock garden there is a fairly large specimen of the Austrian pine, Pinus nigra var. nigra. P. nigra is a very variable species, which is found in various forms from Spain to the Caucasus. Plants from the eastern parts of its range tend to have stiff leaves and to be heavily branched trees with broad crowns. These include the Austrian pine, var. nigra, introduced by Lawson in 1835 and often planted for windbreaks and as a decorative tree but of little value for timber, and the Crimean Pine, var. caramanica, introduced by Lee and Kennedy in 1790. Plants of P. nigra from the western parts of its range have more flexible leaves and are of narrower, more erect habit, with fewer and smaller branches. They include the Corsican pine, var. maritima, a valuable and widely planted timber tree introduced to this country by Miller in 1759. Most of the trees of P. nigra on the Estate are of var. nigra, which is native from central Italy to Austria and Greece.

A short distance away is another purple beech. The next tree, more recently planted, is the Chilean podocarp, Podocarpus salignus. Although this species may grow to a height of 50 feet in its native country, it is rarely much more than a shrub in this country. It was introduced in the 1850s and is only fairly hardy, but is very attractive being evergreen with long sickle-shaped leaves (Fig. 23). It is well worth growing in sheltered areas. Near it, beside another tall incense cedar, is a small specimen of the King William pine Athrotaxis selaginoides.

Above the rock garden which, with the smoke stack, is all the remains of the heating chambers and the palm house and conservatories of the original Streatham Hall there is a group of plants including Viburnum tinus, and rhododendrons. With them there is a specimen of the Himalayan blue pine or Bhutan pine, Pinus wallichiana. This was a self-sown seedling from an older tree of the original planting below the pair of Californian nutmegs mentioned below. It is a five-leaved pine with leaves up to seven inches long, which bears cones up to 10 inches long and of characteristic appearance (Fig. 24). It was introduced into this country about 1820, and is a handsome tree, quite hardy, fast-growing and bearing cones while still comparatively young. The Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, in the same area is another native of western North America which is now much grown as a timber tree in this country, particularly on wetter and poorer soils. It is fast-growing and reaches a height of some 200 feet in its native habitat. Jeffrey's pine, Pinus jeffreyi, is a Californian tree introduced in 1852 and is very similar to P. ponderosa. It is now widely grown in Britain and the present tree must be as old as any growing in this country. The Weymouth pine, Pinus strobus, was introduced from eastern North America in 1705 and is so-called in England because a former Lord Weymouth planted large numbers at Longleat. It was at one time valued as a timber tree but is now less commonly grown. As a specimen tree its appearance is spoilt by the almost invariable infestation of the Weymouth pine aphis.

A more interesting species in this group is the plum-fruited yew, Podocarpus andinus formerly known as Prumnopitys elegans. It is evergreen, growing under the best conditions to about fifty feet but more usually in this country remaining a bush. It is a beautiful garden plant and produces large seeds, which look like small plums and are eaten in its native Chile (Fig. 25). As this plant was introduced into England about 1860 by Veitch we have again two plants on this estate which must be among the oldest in Britain. It is easily grown from cuttings but it does not seem to grow easily from seed despite the good crop of seeds each year. On one of the plants in the Estate one or two of the branches bear staminate cones, the rest of the plant bearing ovulate cones on which the seeds develop. The cones are quite characteristic and the plant is a member of the Podocarpaceae.

The pinetum

In the pinetum proper, the first tree of interest is a large specimen of the red oak, Quercus borealis, the leaves of which, despite its name, tend to turn a bright yellow in the autumn. The plant is native of eastern North America and, with its large leaves, makes a striking picture with its autumn colour. It has been grown in England for over two centuries and many fine specimens exist in different parts of the country. Between it and the Queen's Drive there is a group of Turkey oaks, Q. cerris. With the red oak there are various pines, notably the Bishop pine, Pinus muricata, theJapanese white pine, P. parviflora, and the Japanese red pine, P. densiflora. The last is a useful timber tree in Japan and is much used for 'dwarfing' purposes in that country. It is rarely grown for timber in this country but its reddish bark, reminiscent of that of the Scots pine makes it a useful ornamental tree.

Nearby is a Colorado spruce, Picea pungens, a native of the mountains of western North America from New Mexico to Wyoming. It is an elegant tree, characterised by the stiff glaucous needles standing out from the shoots almost at right angles. Below it is a stone pine Pinus pinea, a native of southern Europe cultivated in England for centuries. The head of the latter is flat and very characteristic. The seeds have been eaten since Roman times and are much prized as 'pine kernels'. The cones are large and rounded with very hard scales. Despite this hardness they are opened by squirrels which regularly eat the seeds.

The best known of the spruces is the Christmas tree, Picea abies, the common or Norway spruce. Though native to central and northern Europe it is not native to this country but has been cultivated extensively for many centuries. It is an important timber tree and the wood is known as 'white deal'. Young trees are the traditional Christmas trees. The Mexican white pine, Pinus ayacahuite, is a five-leaved pine rather like P. wallichiana from which it can be distinguished by the reflexed scales of the large cones which may be more than a foot long. It makes a beautiful ornamental tree with its long thin needles and is very quick-growing. The specimen here, raised about 30 years ago from a seed from a cone of P. ayacahuite, is probably P. x holfordiana, a hybrid with P. wallichiana. Near by, there are two specimens of the lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia. This species is a native of western North America from Alaska to California. It is a variable tree, but the short twisted needles borne in pairs, the twisted and stunted appearance of the branches and the blackish bark broken up into small squarish plates are characteristic features. Although Rather slow growing, the lodgepole pine is now widely planted for timber on poor soils in the western parts of Britain. The Aleppo pine, Pinus halepensis, also represented, is another slow-growing tree, with the leaves in pairs on the spur shoots. It is a native of southern Europe and Asia Minor and is the commonest pine of the Mediterranean region. It is said that the resin was formerly a major import into Egypt where it was used for embalming the dead. It is used nowadays in Greece to flavour wine. The Arolla or Swiss pine, Pinus cembra, has its leaves in fives and is native to central Europe while a subspecies is found in Siberia. It is hardy but of little commercial value in this country. Another European pine which does not grow to any great height, and may on occasion be almost prostrate, is the mountain pine of southern and central Europe, Pinus montana, or P. mugo. The specimen here is an upright pyramidal tree but the species is very variable and many dwarf varieties are cultivated. The maritime pine, Pinus pinaster, grows to a height of 120 feet. The leaves are in pairs and are the largest of any two-leaved pine. It is native to southern Europe. It is resistant to considerable salinity in the soil and will grow on dunes where it acts as a sand binder. It yields valuable resin and turpentine. There is also in this group, a specimen of the deodar, Cedrus deodara, which has already been described.

There are two firs in the same area. The Japanese fir, Abies firma, is a plant which grows to 150 feet in its native Japan. It was introduced by Veitch in 1861. It is a handsome tree and this specimen is well-grown. For some reason it has not been widely planted in this country. The other fir is the Algerian fir, Abies numidica, which does not grow quite so tall and in this country is usually not above 30 feet high. It is a native of Algeria and was introduced in the early 1860s so this and the Japanese fir are among the oldest of their species in Britain. Neither tree is of any commercial importance in this country. There is one other conifer in this section which merits attention though it is no more than a shrub. Podocarpus alpinus is a Tasmanian plant which does not grow into a tree In its native island but justifies its place in any garden as an attractive shrub. It is quite hardy though slow growing.

Below this group of trees there is another specimen of Cedrus atlantica and a small Pinus ayacahuite. The neighbouring group of trees were planted in 1960 and among them is the pencil cedar, Juniperus virginiana, a native of eastern and central United States and Canada. It was introduced into this country about three hundred years ago and, unlike some of the other junipers, grows into a tree. Podocarpus macrophylla, a small evergreen tree native to China and Japan was planted at the same time. It is commonly grown in gardens in Japan and is reasonably hardy in this country. The Japanese black pine, Pinus thunbergii, grows to 100 feet and is one of the most valued timber trees in Japan. It was introduced into Britain by Veitch in 1861 but has not been grown extensively in this country as a timber tree. Another tree of this planting is the Japanese larch, Larix kaempferi. Unlike most of the Conifers the larches, as has been noted, are deciduous but retain characteristic spur shoots on which new pale-green leaves develop in the spring (Fig. 27). This is yet another Japanese tree introduced by Veitch in 1861. It is being extensively planted in this country as a timber tree and it should, in time, grow to a height of 100 feet.

Over the past thirty years a considerable number of broad-leaved hardwoods have been planted on the Estate. One of these is the antarctic beech, Nothofagus antarctica, a member of the Fagaceae. This is a deciduous tree, a native of the southern portion of South America. The genus is one of the so-called Fuegean flora of which quite a number of genera are common to South America and to New Zealand, perhaps as remnants of the large flora of warm temperate plants which in earlier geological times grew in what is now Antarctica. Though this species was first introduced into England in 1830, most of the plants in this country are from seed of a later introduction. It is an attractive tree and would be more popular as a specimen tree if it were a trifle hardier (Fig. 28). Among the more recently planted trees in this area is Podocarpus acutifolius, a native of New Zealand which tends to be a shrub or at most a small tree not more than thirty feet high. Its neighbour, is the jack pine, Pinus banksiana, of eastern North America which is widely grown on the poor sandy soils of the 'pine barrens' region of the western United States. It has been planted in Germany in some quantity but in this country has little to recommend it either for its timber or as a decorative tree.

The so-called umbrella pine, Sciadopitys verticillata, was an introduction by Veitch from Japan though this is a recently planted specimen. It is slow-growing and said to be hardy though it seems to do best with some protection. The leaves are peculiar in that they appear to be fused in pairs and their morphology is obscure (Fig. 29).

Below this group of comparatively recently planted specimens there is a group of trees planted by Veitch. They include the giant fir Abies grandis, a native of western North America where it grows into a very large tree. There are also several trees of the Austrian pine, Pinus nigra var. nigra which has been noted above, and another wellingtonia. Other trees of note are Taxus baccata 'Dovastoniana' and two more North American conifers, the red silver fir, Abies amabilis, and the western yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa.

Three trees in the area of the rock garden which merit attention have not yet been mentioned. One is a specimen of Pinus nigra of striking habit with many large ascending branches from near the base. This is the form commonly known in cultivation as var. caramanica, though the habit of growth seen here is not found in all specimens of var. caramanica which is native from the Balkan peninsula eastwards. Nearby is a large tree of the noble fir, Abies procera, and an evergreen specimen of the hybrid Exeter oak, Quercus X hispanica 'Lucombeana' which is discussed later.

The rock garden and its surroundings, Reed Pond

Around the rock garden there are a number of interesting plants. The deciduous Kentucky coffee, Gymnocladus dioica of the Leguminosae, in its native eastern and central United States grows to a height of 100 feet. This specimen, though planted thirty years ago, has not yet flowered. The well-grown plant of the Chinese witch-hazel, Hamamelis mollis of the family Hamamelidaccae, has never failed to give a display of sweetly scented yellow flowers in January and February (Fig. 30). On a still winter morning the scent pervades the garden well beyond the rockery. It is a deciduous shrub native to China and Japan and the masses of yellow flowers on the bare branches seem to be little affected by snow or frost in the depth of winter. X Osmarea burkwoodii is an interesting intergeneric hybrid between Osmanthus delavayi and Phillyrea decora, both members of the Oleaceae. The shrub grows strongly and, in the spring, is covered with fragrant white flowers. There is also an example of the only close relative of the citrus fruits which is hardy in this country. This is Pondrus trifoliata, a member of the Rutaceae and a native of Japan and China which produces a profusion of attractive white flowers on almost bare stems furnished with formidable thorns. and are like small oranges but are hard and uneatable.

To the south of the rock garden there are three horticultural varieties of Lawson's cypress, C. lawsoniana, which as noted (see P. 7) has produced a great many cultivars. To the west of them is the Pinus nigra var. caramanica already mentioned. The two plants of the Californian nutmeg, Torreya californica, a member of the Taxaceae, are without doubt two of the finest specimens in this country. It makes a beautiful tree with its pendent branches (Fig. 31). The tree was introduced into Britain in 1851 and these specimens are about 50 feet high. The trees of this genus are unisexual and unfortunately both of these specimens are staminate. Next to them are two Japanese maples, Acer palmatum. Though they may have been planted simultaneously, one is 25 feet high and 30 feet across and the other, though healthy, is only about three feet high. The species is a native of Japan long cultivated in that country. There are a great many cultivars with variously coloured leaves of a variety of shapes. The Japanese hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia, growing next to them must be one of the oldest specimens in the country since it was introduced into England by Veitch in 1861. It grows 70 feet high in its native country. The underside of the dark leaves is heavily coated with wax which gives them a white appearance (Fig. 32).

Down the slope is a northern pitch pine of eastern North America, Pinus rigida. It is not a timber tree of any value and does not grow to a great size even in its native country but it is remarkable because of the curious clustering of the cones and for the unusual outgrowth of small branches which more or less cover the trunk, a feature not found in any other pine. The Yezo spruce, Picea jezoensis, introduced by Veitch from

Japan and Manchuria, does best in the wetter parts of Britain though it is not very widely grown. Nearby there is a specimen of the Colorado spruce, Picea pungens, and another Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii. Both have been described above. There is a fine specimen of the black walnut, Juglans nigra, a tree from the eastern United States which grows well in this country. It has been said that the timber of trees grown in Britain is even better than that from trees in their native country. It is a beautiful tree grown as an ornamental subject and should be more widely grown as a timber tree in this country (Fig. 33). The seeds are edible as are those of the Persian walnut, Juglans regia, though they are much smaller. Beside the walnut is a Macedonian pine, Pinus peuce, a five-leaved species from the Balkans which somewhat resembles P. wallichiana but has shorter leaves and cones.

These trees, with a very large Sequoiadendron giganteum, grow in a plantation of rhododendrons which were planted when the gardens were laid out (Plate 1d). They are largely cultivars grafted, as was then the custom, on to stocks of R. ponticum. They are thought to be hybrids of Rhododendron catawbiense raised by Walters in the middle of the 19th century. More recently the species planted on the Estate have, as far as possible, been grown from seed and not grafted; the new cultivars have been raised from cuttings.

Nearer the pond, there are three trees of the common oak, Quercus robur. These may well have been left as specimen trees when this area was cleared by Veitch for the original planting. Below this group of oaks is a large tree of the gean or mazzard, Prunus avium, a native of this country. Beside it is another painted maple Acer pictum. Beside the pond there are a Norway spruce, Picea abies, several western red cedars, Thuja plicata, and a tree of the silver lime, Tilia petiolaris, with pendent twigs and leaves. The latter is a native of south-east Europe which, since its introduction into England in the middle of the nineteenth century, has been extensively planted and grows very freely. The underside of the leaves is covered with a close felt. It is a useful tree in that it flowers much later than the common lime. There is a second specimen on the opposite side of the pond. There is also on that side of the pond a pair of Yellow Nootka cypresses, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, one of which is now in very poor condition. Native to western North America, this species ,was introduced into Britain about 1853 and is apparently quite hardy.

The two large oaks are discussed in the following chapter devoted to Streatham Drive. Beside the larger of these trees, which is a very fine specimen indeed, there is a plant of the willow leaved pear, Pyrus salicifolia. This native of south-eastern Europe does not grow to a great height but is very decorative, with its whitish willow-like leaves and masses of white flowers (Fig. 34). This specimen is grafted on to a hawthorn stock. Also beside the pond is a young specimen of the tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera. Introduced from western North America it makes a beautiful tree of over 100 feet in this country and when mature produces an abundance of yellow-green flowers which are attractive but not particularly conspicuous. However, they are much visited by bees as they secrete large amounts of nectar (Plate 3c).

Between the pond and the Queen's Drive there are four trees of note. There is a small specimen of recent planting of the red fir Abies magnifica, from the western United States. It does best in the wetter parts of Britain and is not much planted in the south of England. There is a good specimen of the purple beech which has already been described. Next to this is a Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica, of which there is another specimen in front of Reed Hall. A peculiar feature of this plant is the tendency for the vegetative shoots to grow through the ovulate cones, at least for a short distance (Fig. 35). Beside it is the swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum, of the south-eastern United States. A very attractive tree, well worth growing as a specimen plant, it normally grows in swamps as the name implies and develops large knee-roots or pneumatophores which grow up into the air. It is also one of the deciduous conifers, losing its leaves with the spur shoots in autumn and developing a new set in the spring. The leaves turn a rich red-brown colour in autumn (Plate 2a).

At the west side of the bottom of the Queen's Drive there is a group of cultivars of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana and a specimen of the Stag's horn sumach, Rhus typhitia of the Anacardiaceae. A native of eastern North America it has been in cultivation in England since the 17th century and with its large reddish leaves it is a popular ornamental plant (Plate 5d). Next to it is a yew tree with very small leaves, Taxus baccata 'Adpressa'.