IN QUEST OF FLOWERS 37 



possible. In the dense shade of the forest the Bamboo does 

 not thrive. 



The forest, though full of splendid timber, is not rich in 

 variety. The Chinese Beech {Fagus sinenis) is the commonest 

 tree. This species always has many trunks, and trees 60 to 

 70 feet high, with stems 3 to 6 feet in girth, abound. The 

 interesting Tetracentron sincnse is very abundant ; trees 60 to 

 70 feet by 8 to 10 feet girth are plentiful. The leafage of this 

 tree is very thin and characteristic. Large trees of White 

 Birch and of several species of Maple occur scattered through 

 the forest. The smooth-leaved Davidia (D. involucraia, var. 

 Vihnoriniana) occurs sparingly, and good-sized trees of various 

 Cherries, Bird Cherries, Mountain Ash, and Wild Pear are 

 common. Rambling over the tops of the largest trees is 

 Berchemia Giraldiana. Several species of Rhododendron 

 occur ; one species {R. sutchuenense) forms a tree 30 feet and 

 more tall and 5 feet in girth. Shrubs in variety abound ; in 

 the glades Viburnum tonientosum was wTeathed in snow-white 

 flowers. In more open places the Musk Rose is rampant, 

 and near the summit Rosa sericea is abundant. 



The summit forms a sloping, undulating flat, about an 

 acre in extent, covered with grass and a few shrubs. On the 

 apex stands a small temple now partly in ruins. A sharp, 

 rocky ridge extends from the summit, linking the mountain 

 up with the ranges to the northward. The face on two sides 

 is a vertical precipice, 2000 feet and more sheer. From the 

 summit (alt. 7850 feet) we got an extensive view of the sur- 

 rounding country. Nothing but mountains on every side ; 

 to the north and north-west these are heaped one be3^ond 

 another in quick succession and are separated by narrow 

 defiles down which torrents rush and roar. Very difficult looked 

 the country in front of us, but the call of the unknown was 

 strong. We descended by the same devious path, indeed, there 

 is no other, and reached our lodgings as darkness overtook us. 

 Specimens of some forty odd different plants rewarded the 

 day's labour, several of them new and uncommonly interesting. 

 On the extreme summit Box is a common shrub, and growing 

 with it I discovered a new species of Lilac [Syringa verrucosa). 



The following day we continued our journey northwards. 



