Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21
royal gardens at Kew, where they form
eel the basis of the present arboretum.

royal gardens at Kew. where they form
ed the basis of the present arboretum.
The large number OF varieties of holly
growing In the country around Wash
inston would, be confusing TO anybody
not a student of that sort oil thing, but
nearly everybody has noticed that some
hollies have large leaves and others
small leaves, that some grow to con-
siderable height. and that some are short
and shrubby. even under the most favor
ing conditions of soil, and that III VIM
ter some much more generously be-
slowed with red berries than others.
Another of the popular Christmas
greens gathered from the nearby as We'll
the distant woods is running pine,
or running cedar or spira! pine, and
which, insaddit:on to these nanlcs is vari-
ously called bunch evergreen. CROW
foot ground cedar festoon pine" and
perhaps other names which the Rambler
has never heard. man whom the Ram
bier met in the woods told him that i'll
other parts of the country II was known
as bucks grass. 'staghorn moss,
VOLTS claws and creeping Jennie.
The running pine belongs to the lycopo-
dunn family, and the spores OF one spe-
cies furnish the infammable powder
known as lycopodiuIn powder or vege-
table sulphur used In stage effects.
Tons of mistletoe are being torn from
trees in the Potomac and Patuxent coun-
try and from the Rappahannock valley
FOR distribution in Washington. 1t is q
romantic plant. or romantic parasite, and
hanging from thousands Of chandeliers
and door intels will furnish the reason,
the inspiration the excuse for a mil
lion kisses. Among the ancient Greeks
the plant was called tree thief" Among
the Druids il was regarded with super
stitious awe. being looked on as the soul
orr the spirit of the oak tree. There are
hundred species of this plant growing
in the United States. but all these are
marked by the white globose berry. There
is common understanding or misun-
derstanding that the mistletoe makes its
living exclusively off the oak tree. but ii
also clings very comfortably and per
sstently tn the tupelo and the red maple.
one OF the Very old beliefs about the
inistletoe is that il was once a tree and
that from this tree the holy cross was
hewn After that the tree withered and
became a parasite. clinging to stronger
trees for sustenance and support Untold
numbers of our ancestors credited mistle-
toe with certain divine attributes, and in
medieval times there was a general belief
that il had the power of expelling evil
spirits from man and OF curing dis
ease. In parts of Great Britain notably
in Devonshire, and In Ireland, the mis-
tletoe was invested not with divine but
with satanic attributes. The pale silver
berries were a harbinger OF i'll. 1t Is
curious that where this belief exists the
mistletoe is not to be found, and this
is not because it has been extirpated,
but because for some cause which the
Rambler has not seen explained this para
site does not find friendly trees In those
rte of fl,a pitt vf, Trla
not grow the peasantry believe that the
plant having incurred the displeasure of
the Druids, was cursed by them and the
soil and the trees became thenceforward