p. BUNGEANA 25 



is going to develop into a butterfly stage of brightened 

 beauty. 



In its native country, we are told — for few have 

 had the luck to see the " Pai-koo-sung " (the native 

 name which stands for *' Pine with the White Bark ") 

 at home — that at fifty years of age this tree undergoes 

 a remarkable transformation effect of colour scheme, 

 and assumes a most striking and fascinating appear- 

 ance. The grey and dingy bark is cast aside, the 

 story of Cinderella is in scenic sense repeated, and the 

 sombre dress of a household drudge, by wave of hand 

 and in a moment of time, is changed into the radiant 

 white of a spotless attire. 



The late Lord Redesdale, in his Memories, speaks 

 of a visit paid to China in 1865, and describes the 

 impression this Pine, planted around the Buddhist 

 temples near Pekin, produced upon him. I will 

 quote his words textually : " The (Chinese) ceme- 

 teries are darkly shaded by tall Chinese Junipers, 

 and the weird lace-bark Pines (P. Bungeana), whose 

 stems and branches are richly embroidered with 

 silver patches, gleam ghostlike among the more 

 brilliant foliage." 



The Chinese have always been addicted to paying 

 more attention to the decoration of their last resting- 

 place than the comforts of their less-abiding homes 

 on earth. Under these rather curious-to-us thoughts 

 and ideas, it can only be regarded as a compliment 

 to their appearance of the highest order, that these 

 Pine trees were found where they were — namely, in 

 full territorial possession of the mortuary sites of 

 Chinese scenery. The occupation of such a site, we 

 may point out, although it may be a much-sought- 

 after surrounding for a Chinese native or a Chinese 

 Conifer, is a complimentary position de luxe that hardly 

 appeals to the representatives of either human or 

 plant life in Western civilization. They, we think. 



