126 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



the abundance of Cercidiphyllum trees. Throughout the moist 

 slopes and park-hke areas on both sides of the range this tree 

 is common. Stumps of decaying giants abound, one of these, 

 which I photographed, measured 55 feet in girth ! This 

 specimen had been broken off some 30 feet above the ground, 

 and was a mere hollow shell, but still supported many twiggy, 

 leafy branches. These stumps are relics of the largest broad- 

 leaved trees I have seen anywhere in China. Growing inter- 

 spersed with these remains were many specimens of the same 

 tree, 60 to 80 feet tall, 8 to 10 feet in girth, perfect in 

 outline, with myriads of neat, nearly round, bright green 

 leaves. One of these was in young fruit, and for the first 

 time in my travels I secured specimens of the fruit of this 

 beautiful and interesting tree, (Later I collected ripe seeds, 

 and this tree is now growing in the Arnold Arboretum, where 

 it promises to be quite hardy. It proved to be a variety 

 distinct from the Japanese species.) 



This tree [Cercidiphyllum japonicum, var. sinensc) attains 

 to greater size than any other broad-leaved tree known from 

 the temperate zone of eastern Asia. In size it is only 

 approached by its close ally, Tetracentron, which is also 

 common in the woods on the Tu-ti-liang shan. A local 

 name for the Cercidiphyllum is " Peh-k'o," a name strictly 

 applied all over China to the Maidenhair tree {Ginkgo biloba). 



The summit of the range is composed of mud shales, which 

 seem favourable to the growth of vegetation generally. Be- 

 tween 8000 feet altitude and the summit Rhododendron 

 calophytum is extraordinarily abundant, trees 40 to 50 feet tall 

 and 5 to 7 feet in girth, with handsome cinnamon-brown bark, 

 cover many acres. Euptelea pleiosperma and Pterocarya hupe- 

 hensis are other interesting trees plentiful hereabouts. The 

 bark of the last-mentioned tree is used locally for roofing 

 purposes. Willows in many species are common ; the bark 

 of certain of these and also that of Linden trees is used by 

 the peasants for making sandals. Viburnum erubescens, var. 

 Prattii, with pendulous panicles of white fragrant flowers, 

 followed by fruit which is at first scarlet and then changes 

 to black, is perhaps the commonest shrub. Various Araliads, 

 Sorb us, etc., grow epiphytically on all the larger trees that 



