BOTANIST'S PARADISE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 422, 3 February 1909, Page 9

BOTANIST'S PARADISE.

AN HOUR IN BOTANiCAL '.GARDENS. ■■■■:.;.;ITS TREASURES REVIEWED. y; j '; ,: : : ,' [By '" The Pkowmr."]" '' j; ;;> •An hour? ' It should have been a.iweek. Did Wellington but- know it, the .Botanical Gardens.. oontain the:, antidote to the;. poison of modern, life.;. ...They soothe... They, take' the'.ruffles out of one's ; irritated' nerves. They tako the mind out of Wellington-r-oiit' of-'New- Zealand—into" tho wilds' of. Africa,: into, tho forests of-South: America, into the romance of Palestine. ; For from these places came some of. the treasures that breathe gentle, influenees'upon the weary visitor. The Botanical Gardens are Nature s doctor for Wellington's sick citizens. But,-like all siok folks,...'we squirm at the medicine and cling to our debility. ■.', These are"! days .of frantic' acquisitiveness, • and: we—3t least! the males among,.us—haven't time to. take/the neces-' saryi pills..:- : '.•'-: '.■/:.: '.•'-':V : ■■.':■":'.;'; ■• •"',■."■'• ..■ All that, the Botanical' Gardens could be .to' : . Wellington". ,is;not':.visible!in.the first casual glance.:. To walk along:paths..with .the colours .and fragrance of flowers all' around one does'limiteoTgopd, ,but there is:more:to bo. gained, when one ■■ '.stoops';' to .details. The! details, '.'unfortunately, are. not very . accessible'.; .Name !plates;.stuck:' into the: ground :at the_ roots:of massed!plants do. not tell very graphic" stories.:. Yet, .if our good' friend, .Superintendent G'en; erected ;, bold', notices I oyer, all the -plants ..with: the prettiest stories' , to'; tell, "he; might, perhaps,, be.' blamed, for 'execrable taste. •.• Perhaps'' not. •;' '■;■'' ■.-.'

Lostfor 100-Years. ',-''-.-,?! ; ~ See,--'for . example, '~ :: that;... modest-looking shrub, on. tho,roadside, border, ashort •cljs•tanee'frbnrthq'iiiain gate. ,*The yellow petals! of its .clumps'of flowers, have nearly'all fallen; |and,only dull green calyxes, and',dull-green' -leaves-remain'.' 'Yet.it can.,toira story;; ; Its' name is senecio perdicioides.. The name ;seems! to-suggest a-period'-in perdition, and, :ih.truth,'.it .passed ,100.'years'there:..' The story is! that the botanists, of Captain. Cook found this plant in New Zealand and chronicled it.; But then' it vanished. ;■ ...Nobody fourid : it again for a ''hundred, years, and.'theh at last : it;' turned J up (in: the' Hutt, Yalley. : There" are other'senecips in Newi'Zealahd, but nono; have the. distinction of- having been lost;'- ■■.'.••.•'■'■■.. '■':■"'';"■ * '■■-. v .:.:■■:

Plants That Have 'Habits..; : v' !;; :'- '■■ ; 'Then\ : there'.iß',the'--mouhtaih'Bsh,.:. : wjtli- : -it3 bright scarlet:, berries.' -The Scotch people at' Home "call this their. rowan: troei' and' they. :pakeid^bitter.jelly,-from th& berries.' :';•:;.;■.' :j- Look': at'" things nearer toHhe' ground.. The. striking, yellow ;lily—more, beautiful ..than,any ornament ,that ever Ta'dorncd a a tigridia '.wheelerii; ■' Jn:the.bla.zjng.sun it:closes',its pretty.'fa'ce—' :fearful, 1 'perhaps,vfor: ; its'. it looks'-yon- straight in' the' eye .when'the light is-subdued.:. In its'intelligencb.it' only equals that' of ■!many .other flowers in this beautiful garden.' It.would'afford' good -exercise forfrequent visitors if; they,were .to .write a story of the habits of .the various flowers .here-r----some. which open', themselves wide to drink in' the snnljght, .and ..fold .into a protective, phalanx clouds.; :iothers, which closest .night..-,Spm'e'bf '. these/flowers are "™atKervProphetsl — ias unerring;. as-Captain Edwin. ;:'When:,the studious .•visitor has completed, thestory; of tho, plant perhaps The -Dominion-might'publish It;.■'.-. ■

:--;''We;:have; no'.-features' her© 'that; we'• aim: to .make, specially : prominent,''■. said; one of the. .half-dozen Eardoners :that : the City Council employs. ■■',"Our object is that every.thing we grow shall be the '.ibesf ",wp:;can produce.": It' ; was'near-tho sweet' peas' *hat this,was-said. ,;These plants; are seven!feet high,, and. the' fbrots'.are' 'immense,''yet 'this gardener; spoke apologetically of the fact that lossl' thaiu.nv'e' or■'. six -florets 'on each-flower stem;;oThey are.growing on a dry ; spot .that. .even., moist; could'not :qu'te:;f,«r e -,-. ; .At-.:tho-:feet.ofLtheso&all giants nestle hundreds little picotccs—a-hint:-that .town.gardenersrmay:- take--.'forA'ahbther rear; • The;; fuchsias, : 'tho'i verbehasyi 'carnatiohs,' •pelargoniums,-'geraniums',::' calceolarias, '■■■ zinnias,-. Iceland .poppies; roses, and.many: other ;• varieties: of; favourite -flowers' are' excellently represented here; ' :; ;i ::::■':,;:■ ■;,>...;

Curious Plants..;/' '■> The mon.key.'s.puzzlo an object of admiration ..to; the boys' who ::c]imb—is, perhaps/.too weH,"knpwn;:to ; .be called.curious,' But the.,a'nchbr;;/troo/mahy.surely); be;', thus classed.',;.lt takes.-its name from tiie. curious'; anchor-like,'growths all,over-the ■ branches. •These; .anchors''-are ■< well '/-furnished"• with' .spines, vwhich •■ afford, a : 'probienr: tb ; the' bbys : ; as-.tougb'as .that''of the monkey's "puzzle. It comes from Itio,/uv South America.,' It is as interesting'. as v ;tli6'''nshbone'.tnißtle : -at' the .othe'r.side of.the path;; Close by"is-a'-lily-pf-/the-valley' treoj/a /charming.object. /There' ,is a tree of heaven, from Chinar-though :what it has to dp. with heaven 'the' writer. cannot iell .■;.;;/;'v.' r//;/ 1 -//' ~/://':'//' '/ ';>'•/ ':,'/'//:•'/"'•'; ;^Then/there;are plantswhich-have :c6mrner-. at least; - oommoroialnames, ■These.inclnd.o.tho pepper tree.(whose'leaf has a; decidedly ■ peppery; smell),;'the:. camphor trco'" (obviously wellnamed),'the tea.'tree—not tho' ■''spurious imitation",, from-the .sorub.lands of ■■■ New:> Zealand, .but -the; real thing;- '• It is :rother-.:ovßr§roTOi-; : ;.l)ccaus'o'v':Sui»rmtiendent' iQlen and his .-men have" not been ' surrepti•tiously. picking "off tho;/young .'growths- frpni' ;which{tea is made;. "But at,;leastit'i"is alive, and apparently flourishing.' "''Would' 1 - a ■ '• tea industry, ;.with": its.high", protective;.. tariff;-save' ;the "• tottering-; fortunes ;of New/Zealand p—if thoy.aro 'tottering. l ;.; ; ;. : ■'■ ->v> -. ■■; .; /JAM//then, //yo; frolicsome ■ youths and maidens of Now; Zealand,'-"there" is a-senna 'tea plant; What'';mcmories -; : /of".'■ misery ' in, childhood days this .discovery brings to one's' 'niirid! - The botanical; ; :name, however; conceals'the /gruesomenessy.of the;plant's real purpose inlhVin tho term'"cassia;" /''"■'

;■ ■! Gome over to the oaotus bed, and observe the curious/organisms/that are'grouped un;der that: na'me:.* /The 'broad-leaved fellow that' stands-: up.like.'/a; grotesque /little, tombstone has killed/the' prospects of; more acres ; of' land in -.-Queensland than there' are people in /Wellington.- It is;'the prickly/pear oil. which tbpsO: New Zealand ' .farmers who. visited ; ; Q;iioerislarid • lately - gazed ■'■ aghast..- It -is' -a • /plant;.;of /which ;, it might be , said' that 'the' ;leaf: is^the/whole thing. Botanists'call,leafy '.-material of thig charaoter ihalluß because''it /is-.rieither/leaf .nor branch. Flower and/fruit grow qui; of it. 1 .; A bit of itbroien off .'and' /thrown to ..the: ground; will. take root, and'grow..;;;.The';prickly pear 'grows slowly; vbut/ likethe British lion, what, it.grips it holds. Seduqtiye Spots. / • : There/areat least two, ferneries, and' they have; ponds- and water, lilies^—restful places.. There is'a camelia walk,-There is-a'rcckery, and- there is 'a'secluded arbour- only /one—' made .of- bamboo plants. /All these will in-' torest;.the-ladies.'-,■;;;;• :■■■':"'. : *r.-!..-:.■: ;.;.,;;. ;

,•' The-; bandstand; where, ■when '■' ■' the. ■: City Couitcil wills; the band plays oil Simdays.is a! popular resort, on .the; music, days.; The grassy..banks, around.are well; suited' for .lounging,.' and -mtiny extra seats are brought 'out for'these occasions. -It is'ncarhere that one :of.;the.ponds : exists, with its bridge "over the 1 .streamlet, and the shoot through whioh the water 'Tims' to keep toe pondß full; Two trees of the cedar family—cedrus - : atlantica and cedrusdeodora—cause one'to look about for a cedar of Lebanon, so famous'in Scripture; but .of this stately _troo the gardens have-none.VThis is an omission'..that should:, be remedied. ■. ._.;.- .■.;.'■' ■ANowPortion.';7';.'.;. , :'■!:'..■:■■; ~ .'Muoli .of,;the hill that was cut off. to form what is called'Anderson's-Park was tumbled -into.agully.riear tho road, arid-lias converted lit into a-' tine levcY Wretch pMartd'. This will ■bo planted this .winter,, In the middlo of this reclamation stands a peculiar object— a piho ' trcoin a brickwell.. The tree was originally growing in "the bottom of tho; gully,- and, fearing that":'it; would bo suffocated'.if ; soil Iworo filled. in, for .ten feet ..up .its' .trunk, this briok' collar .was 7 devisod.. ,'Thpnam'e.ef tho troois •auriearia bidwilli.- ' ■-'. •;..'

A Notable Insect.' ;• :-\' 'There is" a dark, purplish, ■ velvety'. worm','' about'two iricnus 'long, which gives some itt"tweeeto to tiie gaideaa $<rc eataaolaakta. - j*o

is : tho New Zealand poripatus. Ho is famous because the scientists say his existence hero proves that Now Zealand was once joined to South America, Queensland, and the' West Indies. He is riot'very common,- but sometimes the overturning of a bit of stone in the remote regions .of' .the' .Botanical Gardens will reveal him. He' possesses

thirty-; fat, ;shorv .jointless ': pro-legs,-< with: whioh he-runs; : Ho.does not bite—or bark—: but,, in.ore horrible still, he: spits:' His spittle is of. a gluey nature, and .he.spits at flies to entangle : their- legs,-; so: that -he, may fall .upon them.and eat;them; .If ;you;poke him with a 6tick>in the Botanical-Gardens he will pro-, bably- spit - at: you ; for jour'; impudence. ■'. We. present'him. in-sketches./; ....,,'. .;..'::";'