20 



THUJA tiliformis. 

 Weeping Arbor Vitce. 



MONCECIA POLYANDRIA. 

 Nat. ord. Conifer.e. 



THUJA, L. Flores in diversis ramis monoici. Masc. Amenta termi- 

 nalia, ovoidea, minima. Stamina pluiinia, nuda, axi inserta ; filamenta 

 excentrice peltata, laxe imbricata ; anthercB loculis quatuor, longitudinaliter 

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

 depressiuscnla minima. SquamcB quadrifariam imbricatfe, patentes. Ovula 

 ad basim squamarum gemina, sessilia, eiecta, orthotropa, lagenBeformia, apice 

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

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

 lesta ossea v. membranacea, uh'inque in alam angustam producta. Embryo 

 in axi albuminis carnosi antitropus, cjusdem longitudine, cotyledouibus 2, 



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



America horeali obvice ; ramis compressis, foliis minimis dense plurifariam im- 

 bricatis, gemmis nndis. — Endlicher Genera Plantarum, no. 1790. 



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

 gonis, foliis acutis patulis, strobilis subrotundis, squamis 4 apice obtus^ 

 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 scarcelv 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 



