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3. Gordonia Lasianthus |
William Bartram:
3. Gordonia Lasianthus
Bartram describes the Gordonia Lasianthus, a tree bursting with fragrant
blossoms, which turn from green to yellow to scarlet to crimson, then a
brownish purple, before falling to the ground.
The Gordonia Lasianthus grows at the edges of ponds and rivers, like the
"incense-bearing" trees near the sacred river in Kubla Khan.
In his Note Book, Coleridge reminded himself to describe the always-blooming
furze, then quoted the following passage from Bartram (pages 161-2, or Folio
33b-34b, Archiv 359-360.), and Lowes believes that the image of a fragrant
tree blossoming by a river reappeared in Coleridge's internal vision, as he
wrote Kubla Khan.
Text from Note Book Describe-the never bloomless Furze-
And then transi to the Gordonia Lasianthus. Its thick foliage of a dark
green colour is flowered over with large milk-white fragrant blossoms on
long
slender elastic peduncles at the extremities of the numerous branches--from
the bosom of the leaves, and renewed every morning--and that in such
incredible profusion that the Tree appears silvered over with them and the
ground beneath covered with the fallen flowers.
It at the same time
continually pushes forth new twigs, with young buds on them; and in the
winter and spring the third year's leaves, now partly concealed by the new
and perfect ones, are gradually changing colour from green to a golden
yellow, from that to a scarlet; from scarlet to crimson; and lastly to a
brownish purple, and then fall to the ground.
So that the Gordonia
Lasianthus may be said to change and renew its garments every morning
thro'out the year. And moreover after the general flowering is past, there
is a thin succession of scattering blossoms to be seen, on some parts of the
tree, almost every day thro'out the remaining months until the floral season
returns again. --It grows by ponds and the edges of rivers. |
 Other sources
William
Beckford
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