32 BIOTA ; OR 



Ge7K BIOTA. Do7i. The Chinese Arbor- Vitce. 



Flowers, monoecious, or male and female on the same plant, 

 but separate ; male catkins oval or conical, female ones solitary 

 and globular. 



Cones, roundish, squarrose, and composed of from 6 to 8 

 leathery valves, or scales. 



Scales, in opposite cross pairs, peltated, and furnished with a 

 spiny point, just below the apex, and containing each two seeds 

 at the base. 



Seeds, in twos under each scale, bellying crustaceous, and 

 wingless, or only furnished with rudimentary ones. 



Seed-leaves, in twos. 



Leaves, scale-like, very small, in opposite cross pairs 

 adpressed and tiled, or imbricated in 4 rows. 



Name derived from ' Biota,' the old sectional name given to 

 distinguish the Chinese from the American Arbor- Vitae, or the 

 Eastern from the Western kinds. 



All large bushes or small trees, found in China, Tartary, 

 north of India, and Japan. 



No. 1, Biota orientalis, Don, the Chinese Arbor- Vitae. 

 Syn. Thuja Orientalis, Linnaus. 

 „ „ acuta, JlJcench. 

 „ Cupressus Thuja, Targ-Tozz. 

 „ Platycladus strictus, Spach. 



Leaves, on the adult plants very small, in 4 rows, ovate, 

 rhomboid, acute-pointed, scale-like imbricated, adpressed, 

 decurreut and furrowed along the back, the outer or marginal 

 ones lapping over on both sides, the upper and lower ones flat 

 with the points thickened, glaucous green and shining when 

 young ; afterwards dull green when old, and glandless. Branches, 

 somewhat vertical, and horizontal at first, but soon afterwards 

 turn up at the ends, and finally become fastigiate, with the stem ; 

 branchlets, disposed in two rows, densely crowded along the 



