On the hunt for the platycladus

Back to Wisley at the beginning of the month, in part to attempt to find a labelled specimen of the Oriental Arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) noticed at reference 1 - still not being completely convinced by Google Images' identification. There was a lurking doubt.

We thought an early start for a change, hopefully to avoid the long walk at the car park. In the event, we got there at just about 10:00, very early for us. We made it into Car Park No.1. On the way, passing what seemed like an enormous queue coming out of Fairoak Lane at Malden Rushett, stretching back hundreds of metres, well past the sub-station, marked with the usual orange spot in the snap above. Never seen such a thing before and we failed to see or think of a good reason for it to be there on this occasion.

We took the usual tea and rock cake on arrival. On this occasion, I thought too much cinnamon - but still not a bad effort for a big catering operation. And, being early, virtually no queue, so I did not have long to wait while BH did the necessary.

With the shop gearing up for Christmas. Just the thing for those who find the display at Chessington Garden Centre a touch gaudy, a touch street market.

Lots of asters, with a sample of same snapped above. A number of varieties of the New York asters, previously noticed.

A rather flashy sample of same.

The best weeping Atlas cedar on offer. Not bad, but not quite up to the standard of the one at Hook Road, last noticed at the end of reference 2.

A curious tree, which turned out to be a member of the olive family, the narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia), so I now know that the ashes are brigaded with the olives. For all of which see references 3 and 4.

Gemini tells me that this particular ash is very vulnerable to ash dieback, so perhaps the weakening of the crown visible in this snap is not just the drought. At least, at Wisley, one assumes that they are on the case. I learn that one of the effects of dieback is secondary infections of the sort of fungus that resulted in the recent felling on Clay Hill Green, as noticed, as it happens, at reference 2.

Signs of recent mole action in some of the lawns.

Some fine plants at the entrance to the big glass house, among which were several of these. Smallanthus maculatus.

Google Images' first answer is 'The plant highlighted in the image is Kirengeshoma palmata, commonly known as yellow wax-bells', without any qualification or alternatives. But he changes tack happily enough when I correct him: '... The plant in your photo is indeed Smallanthus maculatus (also known as the spotted mini-sunflower or cloud forest daisy)...'. Yet another aster as it turns out, that is to say one of the Asteraceae, from the mountains of Central America. I doubt whether we would have much success with it.

As usual, lots to be seen in the big hothouse. I start with this impressive display. I would say the leaflets were more alternate than opposite, but we shall see what the pundits say.

A palaver with Google Images, starting with some kind of cycad - a large and very ancient division of plants - and ending with some kind of Macrozamia. Which is indeed with cycads.

'... By catching the upward-dished leaflets and the swollen yellow bulges at the attachment points, you successfully reverse-engineered the identity of a Macrozamia without needing the placard...'.

He can gush too. But despite his efforts and reference 5, I am going to have to go back and read the label. The sort of botanical detail needed to sort out the different Macrozamia is probably beyond me - and may require a flower, that is to say a male or female cone - some of which look pretty impressive. Along the way we settle for sub-opposite.

Not the sort of thing one is going to find on Epsom Common at all. Lifted from reference 5.

I am rather fond of these aloes. Bit big for our garden, but they used to have some fine ones at Ventnor Botanic Gardens. And they bring out something similar at Hampton Court Palace from time to time.

On the way up the hill we come across a champion pear, Pyrus cuneata. Ah, I think to myself, that's a duplicate champion. There's one of those at Streatham Cemetery, as noticed at reference 6. However, on inspection of reference 6 today, I find that the Streatham one is actually a Pyrus amygdaliformis, although it looks pretty much the same to me. So off to Gemini.

Who does his stuff: perhaps I shall settle for the Pyrus spinosa complex for both of them. He knows all about the Champion Tree Register of reference 7 too.

Shortly after that I made it to the library, where I took a short walk, lighting on the six volumes snapped above.

Prompting the chat with Gemini summarised above. 'Fraktur' was the only error I noticed. A heavy, blackface type, once popular in Germany and Eastern Europe, banned by the Nazis in 1941. Gemini corrects himself, saying the the style and layout were pretty heavy going, even for a fluent German speaker, but these books were printed in a regular type face.

Back in the library, I moved onto the librarian - quite possibly a volunteer - and asked whether the Oriental Arborvitae was to be found in the gardens. Rather to my surprise, the tools she had to hand were rather crude, but the answer was yes, there were several still standing. We were given plot numbers, but there did not seem to be a zoomable, searchable map of plots - rather a bunch of stuff in a two ring folder. Nevertheless, we found one outside the old building, which we should pass on the way to the car. Except that we failed to find anything of the sort. Maybe try again next time.

Onto to the cafeteria where we took some of their lentils. A bit peppery by our standards, but fine.

On the way out, a handsome white rose of some kind.

And it zooms pretty well.

Google Images took me literally and drew a diagram, rather than dig one up from somewhere. Google did much the same thing, but not the same; he drew his own diagram. Zomlefer had lots of diagrams from the rose family, but not one than added much on this occasion. And neither Bing nor Google turned up a better diagram from anywhere else.

Last up, a curiosity. An ivy - Shield ivy (Hedera Hibernica 'Deltoidea') - grown as a small tree.

Google Images explains that you can do this with mature ivies - but offers that this one is 'Hedera colchica, popularly known as Persian Ivy'. He changes his diagnosis readily enough when I correct him, but once again, more positive, more definite than he perhaps ought to be.

Another fine visit to a fine garden. Home to what appears to be some kind of brown soup made of leftovers. I forget now what from.

PS 1: a very large, and what looks like a very expensive bench. Not a comfortable sit; not quite the right shape or size for either of us!

PS 2: I learn later that there are 744 champion pears trees on the register, of which 38 are Pyrus amygdaliformis. While Wisley has 11 champion pears, of which 1 is Pyrus amygdaliformisis. And the register admits to no Pyrus cuneata at all. 

However, Google allows the term and his story is snapped above. There is a Pyrus pyrifolia among the 11 - but it is not on the snap above. Nor did Gemini think to mention it when I started the pear conversation.

So taxonomy is a bit elastic and 'champion' is clearly a fairly elastic term. They clearly need to put a proper data scientist onto the case.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv6.blogspot.com/2026/10/tweet.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv6.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-felling.html.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_angustifolia.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleaceae.

Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrozamia.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/11/memory-lane.html.

Reference 7: https://www.treeregister.org/.

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