CHAP. CXI II.

coni'fekae. thu'ja.

2459

§ ii. Biota.

I 4. T. orienta'i.is L. The Oriental, or Chinese , Arbor Vitae.

Identification. Lin. Sp., 1422.; Willd. Sp. PI. , p. 509.; Baum., p. 505.'; Du Roi Harbk., 2. p. 458.;

Thunb. Jap. , p. 266.; Hort. Cliff!, 449.; N. Du Ham., 3. p. 21.; Rich. Conif., p. 40.

Engravings. Dend. Brit., t. 149.; Rich. Conif., t. 7. f. 2.; and Gmel. FI. Sib., i. p. 182.; Smith inRees’s Cyc.; and our fig. 2315.

Spec. Char., Sgc. Branchlets 2-edged. Leaves imbricated in 4 rows, ovate-rhomboid, adpressed, furrowed along the middle. Cones elliptic ; interiorscales blunt, mucronate beneath the apex. ( Willd.) A low tree, or fastigiate

/ mag

BBS

shrub; a native of rocky situations in China and Siberia ; and also, accordingto Thunberg, on the mountains of Japan. {FI. Jap. , 266.) Introduced in1752, and flowering in May.

Varieties.

t T. o. 2 stricta Hort.; T. pyramidalis Bauh. Cat. , ed. 1837; and theplate of this tree in our last Volume, from the specimen in the Hor-ticultural Society’s Garden ; is more fastigiate than the species in itshabit of growth, and forms a tall narrow shrub, or low tree.

* T. o. 3 tatarica, T. tatarica Lodd. Cat. , ed. 1836, has the leaves, andthe entire plant, rather smaller than the species. There is a plant inthe Horticultural Society’s Garden, 6 ft. high.

Description. A low tree or large shrub, distinguishable at first sight from theAmerican arbor vitae, by its more dense habit of growth, by its branches beingchiefly turned upwards, and by its leaves or scales being smaller, closer to-gether, and of a lighter green. The common height of full-grown trees of thisspecies is from 18 ft. to 20 ft. The trunk is straight, with a brownish andsomewhat rough bark ; the branches are numerous, pointing outwards, so asto form almost a right angle with the stem; but soon afterwards they areturned upwards, in a direction almost parallel to the trunk. The leaves areflattened, and of a darker green in winter than in summer: they are imbri-cated, opposite, small, obtusely pointed, adpressed against the petioles, con-vex, furrowed at the back, and furnished with a clear green, smooth, shininggland. The male catkins are somewhat elongated, about 2 lines in length,composed of pointed scales disposed in 4 ranks. The female catkins areroundish, somewhat elongated, and composed of scales pointed at their summit,