Pliny: Natural History, Vol. IV

celebrated in the records of both languages, never shedding its leaves; and a Greek fable immediately became attached to it, to the effect that Jupiter had lain with Europa beneath it, just as if there were not another tree of the same kind in Cyprus! But from that tree, first in Crete itself—so eager is human nature for novelty—slips of the plane-tree were planted and reproduced the defect; since, in truth, the greatest recommendation of that tree is that it wards off the sun in summer and admits it in winter.
12 From there, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, a very wealthy Thessalian eunuch—who was a freedman of Marcellus Aeserninus, but who had, for the sake of power, had himself adopted by the freedmen of Caesar—brought this variety into Italy and even to his suburban estates, so that he could deservedly be called another Dionysius. And these monstrosities of the earth endure even in Italy, in addition, of course, to those that Italy has devised for herself.
13 VI. For there are also what are called ground-planes original: "chamaeplatani", trees of forced brevity, since we have discovered how to create abortions even in trees; thus, in this category, we shall have to speak of the unhappiness of dwarfs. This is achieved both by the method of planting and the method of lopping. Gaius Matius, of the equestrian order and a friend of the late Emperor Augustus, first invented clipped groves within these last 80 years.
14 VII. The cherry and the peach, and all those whose names are Greek or foreign, are also exotic; but those among them

that have begun to be numbered among the inhabitants will be spoken of among the fruit-bearing trees. For the present, we shall follow the external ones, beginning with that which is most beneficial.