CUNNINGHAMIAS AND ARAUCARIAS 233 



that in its day it has been regarded with suspicion 

 as a missing link between the Puzzle Monkey and 

 Taxodineae families. 



To those who wish to logicall}^ locate the precise 

 niche in the temple of tree totemism that it has 

 been called to occupy, we will add, for the purposes 

 of illumination, that it is described in the Kew lists 

 as of the tribe Araucarinese, of the family Pinacese, 

 and of the order of the Coniferae. 



We must add a warning note, that not only is 

 this particular household represented by a Cunning- 

 hamia Sinensis, but within its limited portals we 

 read of another occupant named after the Cunningham 

 clan, with a title near enough in sound of name to 

 create bewilderment and discourage farther quest 

 among those outside the esoteric circle of Doctrinaire 

 Dendrologists. 



Besides the C. Sinensis of S. China, there is also 

 in this same group an Araucaria Cunninghamii, the 

 so-called Moreton Bay Pine from Australia, and 

 they are two very distinct trees in spite of the family 

 connection and similarity of name origin. The latter 

 was named after the early Australian explorer, Allan 

 Cunningham, while the Chinese subject of our dis- 

 course was named more especially after one James 

 Cunningham, the discoverer of the tree ; or possibly, 

 as Loudon says, in honour of these two illustrious 

 surnamesakes, so happily blest with the distinguishing 

 prenomens of Allan and James. 



It was the composition of the cone, we read, that 

 finally tipped the beam in placing the C. Sinensis 

 among the Araucarinae. What concerns us most 

 here is what other trees it looks most like, and what 

 it might be likely to be taken for. In general ap- 

 pearance it has little in common with our A. Imbri- 

 cata. The look of the leaf is said to bear the nearest 

 resemblance to that of the Brazilian Araucaria, But 



