518 SIR J. D. UOOKEB OS A CTriiUS CEDAR. 



in foliage. The trees are very scarce, and grow in a secluded 

 spot among the mountains. I think it is a new variety. At all 

 events, I have given the boughs to the highest authorities here to 

 be sent to you ; and I have recommended them to collect the 

 seed, which will be ripe in November. The wood is reported 

 to be superior in quality to any in the island. 



" No species of Cedar exists in any other portion of Cyprus. 



u Much has been written concerning the trees and plants by 

 persons who are inexperienced ; and the dwarf Cypress has been 

 confused with Juniper, to which, of course, it bears no resem- 

 blance. 



"I have found two varieties of Cypress. No. 1, a tree avera- 

 ging a girth of 6 or 7 feet at maturity, and a height of 30 feet, 

 with a cedar-coloured wood, emitting a powerful aromatic scent 

 resembling Sandal-wood. This is, in my opinion, the celebrated 

 ' Chittim wood.' "Why should Solomon have sent for Cedar, 

 which is so common in Asia Minor? The No. 2 variety of 

 Cypress is an intensely hard wood, resembling somewhat Lignum 

 vita?. This never grows higher than 20 feet, and seldom exceeds 

 a girth of 2 feet 6 inches. 



"^Sincerely yours, 



M 



ii 



Shortly after the receipt of the above, I had the gratification of 

 receiving, through the kind offices of the Marquis of Salisbury, the 

 magnificent specimen of the Cyprus Cedar procured by Sir 

 Samuel Baker, and which I have now the pleasure of exhibiting. 

 It differs, as will be seen, from the known forms of Cednis in the 

 shortness of the leaves and the smallness of the female cones, 

 and perhaps also in other characters, which, owing to the imma- 

 turity of its cones, the specimen in question does not admit of 

 being investigated. I shall therefore confine myself to su 



O 



gesting its bearing the varietal name of Cedrus Libani> var. brevi- 

 foJia ; and I may assume that for arboricultural purposes the 

 trivial name of " Cyprus Cedar/' as distinguishing it from all 

 other forms of the genus, will be accepted. 



In an account of the known forms of the genus Cedrus, which I 

 communicated to the ' Natural History Eeview % for the year 

 1862 (p. 11), I brought together some observations that I had 

 made on the different so-called species of Cedrus, and endea- 

 voured to establish the conclusion that the now isolated Cedars 



