scarcely a happy designation, and states that the original tree grew in the grounds of Sir T. Dick Lauder in the parish of Corstorphine, near Edinburgh.
The Corstorphine sycamore is well illustrated and described by Sargent,[1] who quotes from a book, published locally by Mr. G. Upton Selway, called A Midlothian Village. The tree has a romantic history, as being the only survivor of an avenue which formerly led to an old manor-house belonging since 1376 to the Forrester family. James Baillie, second Lord Forrester, who took an active part against the Commonwealth, and became involved in difficulties on account of a heavy fine laid on him by Cromwell, is said to have quarrelled with his sister-in-law on August 26, 1679, and to have been murdered by her at the foot of this tree.
Mr. R. Galloway, Secretary of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society, informs us that this tree now stands in a garden attached to one of the houses in the village of Corstorphine, and measured in 1905, 61 feet in height and 11 feet in girth. A tree of this variety, which in 1904 measured 62 feet high by 5 feet 10 inches in girth, grows at Kilmarnock, and is believed by the Rev. Dr. Landsborough to be 112 years old. He says that this variety does not grow so fast or attain such a large size as the common sycamore, as owing to its early leafing, the golden sycamore is liable to suffer from spring frosts.
14. Var. Worlei, Rosenthal. Another form of the golden sycamore, with reddish leaf-stalks and bright-yellow leaves, which are orange-coloured at the time of opening.
15. Var. aucubæfolium, Nicholson. Leaves marked with yellow spots, similar in appearance to those on the leaves of the common Aucuba japonica. Originated as an accidental seedling in Little and Ballantyne's nursery at Carlisle.
16. Var. Leopoldi, Lemaire, Illust. Horticole, xi. t. 411 (1864). Leaves deep pink at the time of unfolding, afterwards variegated with pink and purple. This originated in the seed-bed in the nursery of M. Vervaene, at Ledeberg-lesGand, by whom it was sold to Van Geert.
17. Var. Webbianum, Nicholson. Leaves with silvery streaks. This originated in the nursery of C. Lee and Son at Isleworth.
18. Var. purpureum, Loudon. Purple-leaved sycamore. Leaves purple beneath. The petiole and wings of the fruit are often also bright-red. This variety originated in 1828 in Sanders' nursery in Jersey.
Various sub-varieties are known as var. atropurpureum, Späth, under surface of the leaves very dark purple; var. Nizeti, von Schwerin, leaves purple beneath, spotted with yellow above; var. Handjeryi, Späth, vinous-purple beneath, upper surface with yellow minute spots; var. purpureo-variegatum, Nicholson, with rosecoloured or white stripes on a purple ground. The latter originated in Van Volxem's nursery at Perck, and is considered by Nicholson to be identical with var. variegatum, Carriére, Rev. Hort. 1877, p. 334, which originated as a branch sport from the ordinary purple-leaved variety in the Bois de Boulogne nurseries at Longchamps in 1874.
19. Var. flavo-variegatum, Hayne.[2] Leaves splashed and marked with yellow.
