20 



THUJA filiformk 



Weeping Arbor Vitce. 



MONCECIA POLYANDRIA. 



Nat. ord. Conifers. 



THUJA, L. Flores in diversis ramia monoici. Masc. Amenta teruii- 

 nalia, ovoidea, minima. Stamina plurima, inula, axi inserta; filamenta 

 excentrice peltata, laxe imbricata ; antherce loculis quatuor, longitudinaliter 

 dehiscentibus, margini inferiori subtus insertis. Fern. Amenta terminalia, 



depressiuscula minima. Squamce quadrifariam imbricatse, patentes. Ovula 

 ad basim squamarum gemina, sessilia, erecta, orthotropa, lagenseformia, apice 

 pertusa. Strobilus e squamis imbricatis sub apice retorto-mucronatis, lignes- 

 centibus, primum clausis, mox patulis. Semina sub squamis 2, e basi erecta ; 

 testa ossea v. membranacea, utrinque in alam angustam producta. Embryo 

 in axi albuminis carnosi antitropus, ejusdem longitudine, cotyledonibus 2, 

 oblongis, radicula cylindrica, supera. Arbores sempervirentes, in Asia et 



j _^ — j 



bricatis, gemmis nudis. — Endlicher Genera Plantaru 



densh plurifc 



T. jiliformis (Loddiges) ; ramis pendulis filiformibus teretibus apice tetra- 

 gonis, foliis acutis patulis, strobilis subrotundis, squamis 4 apice obtuse 

 mucronatis recurvis exterioribus monospermis interioribus effsetis, semi- 

 nibus apteris. 



There is a general belief that this rare plant is the same 

 as the species figured by Mr. Lambert, under the name of 

 T. pendula ; and accordingly by all writers upon Coniferous 

 plants the two are mixed together. I confess I do not parti- 

 cipate in this opinion. It appears that the fruit of T. pendula 

 is four times as large as this, and has six scales instead of 

 four, with scarcely any mucro ; while in this there are con- 

 stantly four scales only, and they have a mucro almost as long 

 as themselves. Now a difference of this kind is too important 

 to be disregarded, and is scarcely to be considered as accidental. 

 I therefore adopt Mr. Loddiges* name of T. filiformis. 



It is a beautiful and quite hardy tree, with long slender 

 weeping branches. The finest plant in England, or perhaps 

 in Europe, is in the Arboretum at Kew ; it is now eight or 



