Radó Dezső: Parks and Forests - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)

of this tree is that it often blossoms in October after loosing its foliage. The mild autumn weather can cheat the horse chestnut.

At the edge of the sunbather’s field stands a specimen of flowering ash belonging to the “Aurea" (i.e. golden) variety. It is justly named as in the autumn its foliage takes the form of a brilliant golden sphere. The wig tree is a large bush also found in this area. In June it develops a rosy fruit stem resembling candy-floss whereas in the autumn its yellow and red oval leaves catch the eyes. It does not exist in northern Europe thus it is particularly favoured by tourists from that area.

It is worthwhile walking on by the small knoll with eight ash trees toward the small lodge on Városligeti körút, where the most valuable plant assemblage of the City Park can be found. Rare plant species include the Atlas cedar, arrow-wood, spruce, silver fir, a perennial plant called burning love, oak, and Cedrela sinensis, a relative of the mahogany tree which has neither an English nor a Hungarian but a Latin name. There is a vine arbor and of course a variety of well-known and widespread deciduous trees such as the great maple, horse chestnut, paper-mulberry, catalpa, nettle tree, common hawthorn, beech, black walnut, tulip tree, mulberry and mock-orange or wild jasmine.

Probably the nicest linden pathway is the one winding gently by Olof Palme sétány and Városligeti körút. Among the accompanying shrubs snowberry, firethorn and wintergreen barberry are found. The snowberry took its name from the white fruits remaining on the branches until late autumn. The firethorn has red berries and spiky prickles. These three shrubs are among the most resistant species surviving even the most adverse conditions. This is proved not only in the City Park, but also in Baross tér and the Kálvin tér. Japanese pagoda-trees stand on the Aréna út side of the City Park together with nettle trees which are among the trees most resistant to city conditions.

Walking further under the lindens of Városligeti körút, one reaches a children’s world. On the right, that is to the north, in the triangle bordered by Dózsa György út and Ajtósi Dürer sor there is a playground for school- children together with fenced badminton courts and soccer fields for the older kids. The biggest one boasts stands like a real stadium. Fathers use the facilities just as much as the children.

At the southern end of the playground swings and ping-pong tables are located. A large, reed-roofed build16