PINACEiE 189 



appears to depend upon their scent. Some of them are said to 

 be of very dark colour, and they would appear to be the dark 

 wood from buried trees described by Wilson. 



The bark is durable and is often utilized in China for roofing 

 houses. 



In its natural state, when growing under forest conditions, 

 it develops with a long, straight, mast-Hke trunk, 80-150 ft. high, 

 clear of branches for half its height. In the open the branches 

 are retained much lower on the trunk. Cut-over trees produce 

 sprouts which form a means of renewing the forests. C. sinensis 

 thrives in the warmer parts of Britain, and there are specimens 

 40-50 ft. high in Devonshire and Cornwall which bear cones 

 freely. It succeeds at Kew ; but during the severe winter of 

 1894-95 every plant was killed to the ground. The following 

 summer young shoots were produced which are now 20-24 ft. 

 high and up to 2 ft. in girth. They flowered in 1922. It is hoped 

 that plants raised from seeds collected by Wilson at a high eleva- 

 tion will prove hardier than the plants of previous introduction. 



The Chinese fir thrives in light, warm, loamy soil, and gives 

 the best results in a warm, sunny position. In China it is said 

 to be specially partial to red sandstone. Propagation is effected 

 by seeds, sprouts, and cuttings. Its value in Britain is purely 

 decorative. 



Elwcs and Henry, loc. cit. iii, 494 (1908). 



Cunninghamia Konishii, Hayata. 



A tree of moderate size. Bark reddish -brown, odorous. 

 Young shoots without down. Leaves spirally arranged, crowded 

 on the branches, not curved, persisting about eight years, narrowly 

 triangular, without stalks, |-1| in. long, t'(J-| in. wide, curving 

 upwards, stiff, leathery, margins finely toothed, apex a long fine 

 point, stomata on both surfaces but most conspicuous beneath. 



Cones ovate or rounded, |-|- in. long, about | in. broad ; 

 scales rounded with a distinct short claw at the base. Seeds 

 3 to each scale, ovate or eUiptical, hard, surrounded by a 

 narrow wing. 



This species differs from C. sinensis by its smaller and more 

 persistent leaves with stomata on both surfaces, the spiral arrange- 

 ment of the leaves, and small ones. 



C. Konishii was first collected by Mr. N. Konishi on Mt. 

 Randai in the Island of Formosa. In habit it is said to be inter- 

 mediate between Cunninghamia sinensis and Taiivania crypto- 

 merioides. 



SmaU plants are in cultivation at Kew, but they are not old 

 enough to allow a correct judgment to be formed of their hardiness 

 or decorative value. 



Hayata, Gardeners' Chronicle, xliii, p. 194 (1908). 



