IN QUEST OF FLOWERS 31 



common Pine. Small trees of Cornus Wilsoniana in full flower 

 were common here and there. Odd trees of C. kousa, also, in 

 full flower, were conspicuous in the outskirts of the woods and 

 copses. This small tree is exceedingly floriferous. In habit it 

 is flat-topped with horizontally-spreading branches, and the 

 flowers borne erect, well above the foliage. The white bracts, 

 which are so conspicuous, frequently exceed 5 inches in 

 diameter ; with age they become tinged with pink. The fruit is 

 large, orange-red, and edible. This Chinese form will probably 

 prove a better plant under cultivation than the Japanese form 

 with which gardeners are familiar. The plant loves a sunny, 

 well-drained situation. But the display of the day was made 

 by the wild Roses. By the side of streams the Rambler Rose 

 [Rosa multiflora), with both white and pink flowers, was abund- 

 ant. In the woods higher up the Musk Rose [R. moschata) 

 filled the air with its soft fragrance. Here and there occurred 

 Actinidia chinensis, scaling tall trees and wreathing them 

 with white and buff-yellow fragrant flowers. In the forenoon 

 noted Rehmannia angulata, especially common on steep stony 

 places in full sun. 



Our halting-place, Lao-mu-chia, is about 3500 feet altitude, 

 and consists of about six houses and a tile-factory. Hereabouts 

 much charcoal is burnt for export to Nanto and down river. 

 During the day's journey we met several men laden with bales 

 of Pear and Crab-apple leaves. These leaves are commonly 

 used as a substitute for tea, and there is a considerable export 

 from these parts to Shasi. 



On leaving Lao-mu-chia we immediately commenced the 

 steep ascent of the Hsan-lung shan, and a climb of 1000 feet 

 brought us to the summit, where there is a small temple in a 

 ruinous condition. After a precipitous descent of a few 

 hundred feet the road meanders over and among the tops of 

 hills, composed of granitic-gneiss, which is rapidly disintegrat- 

 ing, and ultimately descends to the bed of a torrent and joins 

 the main road from Ichang to Hsingshan Hsien. 



Near the summit of Hsan-lung shan, which is composed 

 of Cambrian-Ordovician limestones, the Chinese Tulip tree 

 [Liriodendron chinense) is common in the woods, and so is 

 Viburnum tomentosum with its sprays of snow-white flowers. 



