CHAP. CXIII.

CONI'FERiE. THU'jA.

2455

i*Vss

mm

'maii

Society’s Garden, 8 ft. high, which was received in 1831, from Mr.Hodgkins of the Dunganstown Nursery, in the County Wicklow.

} T .0.3 odorata Marsh., 1. c., N. Du Ham., Hi. p. 13., is said to be more fragrant than the species.We have not seen the plant.

Description, fyc. The American arbor vitre, in its native country, accordingto Michaux, is a tree from 45 ft. to 50 ft. in height, with a trunk sometimesmore than 10 ft. in circumference; though, in general, it is not above 11 in.or 15 in. in diameter at 5 ft. from the ground. From thenumber of the concentric circles, 117 of which Michaux hascounted in a log 13 in. 5 lines in diameter, its growth appearsto be extremely slow. The foliage is numerously ramified, andflattened, or spread out laterally. The leaves are small, oppo-site, imbricated scales: when bruised, they diffuse a strongaromatic odour. The sexes are separate upon the same tree:the male catkins are in the form of small cones, which, whenripe, are yellowish, about 4 lines in length, and composed ofoblong scales, which open throughout their whole length forthe escape of several minute seeds, each of which is sur-mounted by a short wing. The flowers appear early in spring,and the catkins are matured towards the end of September.

In America, the full-grown arbor vitte is easily distinguishedfrom all other trees by its shape and foliage. The trunktapers rapidly from a very large base to a very slender sum-mit ; and it is furnished with branches for four fifths of itsheight. The principal limbs are widely distant from eachother, placed at right angles with the trunk, and have agreat number of drooping secondary branches. The barkupon the trunk is slightly furrowed, but smooth to the touch, ' 2313and very white when the tree stands exposed. The wood is reddish, some-what odorous, very light and soft, and fine-grained. ( Michx .) Compared withthe Chinese arbor vitEe, the American species is a loose irregular-headed tree,with the branches much more horizontal than in that species. The rate ofgrowth, in the climate of London, is from 6 in. to 1 ft. in a year. In tenyears, in favourable soils, it will attain the height of 10 ft. or 12 ft.; and in30 or 40 years, in moist sheltered situations, drawn up by other trees, it willattain the height of 30 ft. or 40 ft. The largest specimens in the neighbour-

ed