The Gazette 1991

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991

GAZETTE

Correspondence The Editor, Law Society Gazette, The Law Society, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7. Re: Trees and Past-Presidents Dear Editor, At lunchtime on 28th November 1990, as I strolled along the front of the Society's splendid home, absorbed in consideration of matters weighty and contentious, I was seriously distracted by two small placques beneath two young trees. These placques told me that one tree had been planted by Past- President Anthony E. Collins and the other by Past-President Laurence Cullen. They further told me that Mr. Collins' tree was Prunus Sub Hirtella - Flowering Crab Apple and that Mr. Cullen's tree was Malus Lisset - Flowering Cherry. I make the following ob- servations on the dendrological

the profession, and are, more- over, an affront to the two Past- Presidents with whose distin- guished names the nonsense is associated. I recommend that the appropri- ate committee of the Society take steps to remove forthwith the offending placques and to replace them with placques inscribed with the correct data. Furthermore, I suggest that if the current craze for the use of the vernacular must prevail, then surely one can dispense with the word "Flower- ing" since every tree in the world must " f l owe r" if it is to set seed! Any of your readers seriously interested in the content of this letter might wish to refer to W. J. Bean "Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles" Eight Edition (Vol III pps. 348-418 for Prunus and Vol II pps. 691-717 for Malus).

data: — 1. Subhirtella is one word;

2. Lisset is spelt with one " s " ; 3. Malus "Liset" is not a species but a third-generation hybrid ( - one of several raised by Mr. Doorenbos) and accordingly the title should be Malus "L i se t" and not Malus Liset which would denote a species Malus; 4 . The genus "Prunus" includes plums, almonds, peaches, apricots, cherries, bird cherries and cherry laurels. It most certainly does not include apples! If Mr. Collins' tree is Prunus Subhirtella then it cannot be a Crab Apple! 5. The genus. "Ma l us" includes crabs and apples but definitely not cherries! Accordingly Mr. Cullen's tree cannot be both a Malus and a cherry! 6. In short there is a major cock-up! Inasmuch as the layman (per- haps erroneously) expects lin- guistic accuracy from solicitors, the errors on the placques demean

Yours faithfully, John E. O'Reilly, Architect, 1 Clonskeagh Square, Dublin 14.

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