Pretty Lessons in Verse :: :: University of Virginia Library

In Latin ulmus means an elm,
Which grows all o'er this noble realm;
And fraxĭnus the ash so fair,
Which many a bunch of keys doth bear;
And thus the tree which doth dispense
Arabia's pleasant frankincense.
The hazel is called cory̆lus,
The spreading plane is platănus,
Cedrus is the fragrant cedar;
And the yew, my little reader,
Is taxus named; and I aver
That abies means the hardy fir,
Sambūcus is the elder fair
Which doth such fragrant blossoms bear;
And quercus means the knotted oak,
Which yields to many a sturdy stroke;
One sort of oak, as I believe,
The name of robur did receive:
And robur is the name for timber,
And larix is the larch so limber.
The maple with a rugged bark,
Is acer called; and pray remark
That siler is the withy tree,
The boughs of which bend gracefully;
And pinus is the pine that grows lofty mountains capp'd with snows;

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And ilex is the dark holm-oak,
Which shining leaves in winter cloak.
But ornus is the mountain-ash,
Which grows where rocky streamlets dash;
Its berries are as red as coral:
And laurus some translate a laurel,
But I have heard good scholars say
That laurus is the Italian bay.