CUDR ANI A -CUPRESSUS 441 



very much in the fruits, is perfectly hardy, and flowers frequently at Kew. 

 Its flowers are of no ornament, and the plant itself, although interesting 

 both economically and botanically, has no special merit for the garden. 

 Its leaves are much used in China for feeding the silkworm on, being 

 considered as good for this purpose as the mulberry to which also it is 

 closely related. 



CUNNINGHAMIA SINENSIS, R. Brown. CONIFERS. 



An evergreen tree up to 150 ft. high in a wild state, but*not yet half 

 as high in this country, with a scaling bark ; young wood hidden on the 

 upper side by the bases of the densely packed leaves, pale green and 

 smooth beneath. Leaves persistent about five years, springing equally 

 from all round the stem, but twisted at the stalkless base so as to come 

 into two opposite, spreading, horizontal ranks ; they are linear-lanceolate, 

 i to 2 j ins. long, T V to T \ in. wide; minutely toothed, tapered to a long, 

 fine point ; dark glossy bluish green above, with a broad stomatic band 

 beneath along each side the midrib. Cones roundish, rather broader 

 than long, about i-J ins. wide; scales broadly ovate, with an abrupt, slender 

 point, and irregularly toothed margins. 



Native of China; introduced to Kew by William Kerr in 1804. In 

 general appearance it bears considerable resemblance to the Araucarias, 

 especially to A. brasiliensis, and it appears to be related to that genus. 

 It represents one of the world's most ancient types of vegetation, a very 

 similar plant being found in a fossil state. As a tree for gardens it is 

 rarely satisfactory except in the south and west of the British Isles. The 

 best trees are at Killerton (68 ft. high), Bicton (56 ft.), Pencarrow (48 ft.). 

 Nearer London the finest trees are at Bagshot P^rk (48 ft.), and one at 

 Claremont (36 ft.). At Kew it has lived and grown slowly out-of-doors 

 for at least forty years, but suffers badly in severe winters. It likes a 

 sheltered position and a deep, well-drained soil. Mr E. H. Wilson has 

 recently found considerable forests of it in W. China, and he has hopes 

 that the plants raised from the seed he collected there may prove hardier 

 than the type originally found by James Cunningham (after whom it is 

 named), on the Island of Chusan, in 1701. 



C. KONISHII, ffayata, is a second species recently discovered in 

 Formosa. According to specimens sent to me by Mr Clinton Baker, 

 it is very distinct from C. sinensis, the leaves being only ^ to- J in. long, 

 curved, linear-lanceolate, ^ in. wide, with stomata on both surfaces. It 

 is not likely to be hardy. 



CUPRESSUS. CYPRESS. CONIFERS. 



A group of some fifteen species of evergreen trees belonging to the 

 conifer family, of great beauty and interest when seen at their best. In 

 their typical form the species are all large or medium-sized trees, but 

 under cultivation a great number of diverse forms have appeared 



