WOOLLY-FLOWERED GORDONIA. 53 
This tree seems first to have been recorded by Catesby, and was soon after 
described by Ellis, in the " Philosophical Transactions," and figured there, as 
well as in Catesby's "Carolina." It was introduced into England, in about 
1768, by Benjamin Bewick; but it has never been very successfully cultivated, 
apparently from neglecting to imitate its natural habitat. The largest plants in 
England are at Purser's Cross, at White Knight's, in some of the London nurse- 
ries, and a few others. No plants, as yet, have exceeded twenty feet in height. 
In the vicinity of New York, Philadelphia, and other places, this tree is planted 
in gardens, and succeeds well, with some slight protection during winter. 
Soil and Situation. In the natural habitat of this species, the vegetable mould 
is often not more than three or four inches deep, and reposes upon a bed of bar- 
ren sand ; yet its growth is surprisingly luxuriant. A swampy soil, and a low, 
sheltered situation appear to be the most congenial to its growth. In preparing 
an artificial soil, either for this species or the Gordonia pubescens, it should be 
composed of peat, or leaf-mould, and sand ; and it should be so circumstanced, 
as always to be kept moist, without having the surface alternately moistened by 
the watering-pot, and dried by the sun. In order to do this, a considerable mass 
of soil ought to be brought together, and placed in an excavation, on a retentive 
substratum, in a low situation. During summer, water ought to be supplied 
from below, rather than from the surface, in order that the degree of moisture 
may be maintained as uniformly as possible. This may be effected by laying 
the bottom of the foundation or substratum of broken stone or coarse gravel, to 
which water can be supplied through a shaft, or tube, communicating with the 
surface. Such a preparation is well worthy of the expense, in order to insure 
the growth of these species, as well as the Magnolia glauca, and other plants, 
requiring a similar situation. 
Propagation and Culture. In the British nurseries, this species is generally 
propagated by layers ; but sometimes seeds are imported for the purpose. These 
require to be sown on peat soil, kept moist and shaded ; and, for this purpose, a 
covering of moss (sphagnum) is thought desirable, as the seeds which drop 
from the plants in their native habitats, only germinate successfully in this sub- 
stance. 
Properties and Uses. The wood of the Gordonia lasianthus is extremely light, 
a cubic foot of which, when dry, does not weigh more than twenty pounds. In 
trunks of these trees, which exceed fifteen inches in diameter, four-fifths of the 
wood is heart. It is of a rosy, or mahogany hue, and of a fine, silky texture, 
which render it very proper for the inside of furniture, though the cypress is gene- 
rally preferred. When seasoned, it is exceedingly brittle, and rapidly decays 
when exposed to the alternations of moisture and dryness. The bark may be 
taken off this tree during three months of the year, which shows that the sap is 
in vigorous motion a much longer period than it is in most other trees. The 
value of the bark, in tanning, compensates, in some measure, for the uselessness 
of the wood, for which purpose it has been employed in times past, throughout 
the' maritime parts of the southern states and Florida. Although this branch of 
industry was never so extensively practised in the southern as in the northern 
parts of the United States, the regions where this tree abounds do not afford a 
sufficient quantity of bark, proper for tanning, to supply the wants of the inhab- 
itants. Hence, nearly all the leather, and articles manufactured therefrom, con- 
sumed in the southern states, are carried from the north. A bark, suitable for 
the purpose of tanning, is more valuable in the United States, than at first sight 
might be supposed. Although there are a great variety of oaks, and many of 
the species profusely multiplied, yet there are but a very few of them that are 
sufficiently rich in tannin to be worth using. 
