ARBOREAL FREAK.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 228, 25 September 1926, Page 13

ARBOREAL FREAK.

A HARDY PLUM TREE. GROWING ON CITY STREET. One would not expect to find a plumtree flourishing amazingly well in tae middle of a city thoroughfare, but strange things occur, and in France Street, within .fifty yards of one of the busiest intersections, an arboreal freak has developed. In connection with the erection of the George Court building the contractors, Messrs. J. T. Julian and Son, temporarily fenced off a strip on the side of France Street, and it is there, securely screened from public gaze, that a plum-tree has set out to demonstrate the exuberant growth that Auckland's fertile soil lends itself to. Probably a plum-stone was. thrown there by a passer-by, yet despite the fact that it had an uncongenial bed of solid road-metal, it triumphed over its surroundings, and developed into an interesting nature study. At the moment the plum-tree is nearly six feet in height. It welcomed the Auckland spring with clusters of white blossoms tinged with pink, and new its stately, shapely, wand-like, willowy branches tarry a profusion of slightly oblonglanceolate leaves with tapering points, and slender petioles. So far the species has not been established, and whether it is of the variety prunus maritama, augustifoli watsoni, pumila bessegi, or merely a common Satsuraa, will probably be satisfactorily established wlipti the fruit begins to bear, that is, if it should ever reach that stage. The France Street freak has opened 'ID quite a wide range of possibilities. City beautifieation and yiromological research are suffgrested, even a selfKtrown silent policeman. which would indicate to casual motorists the right si'lf of tae road to takp. The clerk of works on Uie job is taking quite a pride in the arboreaf stranger, yet it seems doomed "to blush 'inseen nntl waste its fragrance on the desert air" in the locality, unless thp Rppdlin.T'g fieht for life on" a stony city "treet is appreciated to the extent of vemovins it to the more kindly sur-