Juniperus 1433 



A diffuse bushy plant, with mostly juvenile acicular foliage in threes ; some of 

 the terminal branchlets being covered with adult scale-like leaves, and occasionally 

 bearing fruit. 1 



This is a juvenile form ofy. chinensis, of which the Japanese make dwarf plants, 

 that are frequently imported into Europe. It was erroneously identified by Carriere 

 withy, procumbens, 2 Siebold ; and this mistake has been copied by Kent and other 

 writers. Sargent describes, 3 as J. japonica, a plant of compact habit, with many 

 erect branches and acicular bluish - green needles, which is often cultivated in 

 Japanese gardens, and is very hardy and distinct in appearance. It retains its 

 peculiar compact juvenile habit for several years, but often becomes thin and ragged 

 before it is 12 ft. high, and loses its value as an ornamental plant. Sargent 

 adds that this is one of the most difficult conifers to transplant. Judging from 

 the description, the variety alluded to by Sargent is J. japonica pyramidalis, Carriere, 

 Conif. 32 (1867), but I have seen no specimen. (A. H.) 



Distribution 



J. chinensis is a native of China, Mongolia, and Japan. In China, it is frequently 

 cultivated in temple grounds ; but appears to be truly wild in the mountains of 

 Hupeh, Shensi, and Szechwan, where it is usually found growing solitary on cliffs, 

 but occasionally as underwood 4 in the forests. Pere David 5 found it abundant on 

 the Moni-ula range of the Ourato territory in south-western Mongolia. 



This is a favourite tree in the parks and temples of Peking, where it attains a 

 great age. The largest I saw were at the temple of Confucius, and were said to be 

 over 700 years old. In a double avenue here, one tree on the left-hand side was 

 about 40 ft. by 17 ft. ; and another whose trunk was covered with burrs was 14 ft. in 

 girth. At the Ming Tombs there are many very old junipers and fine specimens of 

 arbor vitae, together with numerous pine trees (Pinus Bungeana and P. funebris). 



In Japan, it is also common in cultivation ; but is recognised as a native tree 

 by Japanese botanists 6 and foresters. Shirasawa states that it is wild in the 

 mountains of the Shinano province in central Hondo, mixed with Pinus densifiora 

 and Quercus serrata, and forming a tree 30 to 40 ft. in height, with straggling 

 contorted branches and greyish green foliage. It occasionally attains a large size, 

 as Sargent 7 mentions two venerable trees at the temple of Zenkogi in Nagano, 8 

 which are 70 to 80 ft. high with hollow trunks about 6 ft. in diameter. I never saw 

 it wild ; but I saw several handsome trees in the ancient temple of Tennoji at Osaka, 

 with fine large round heads, the best with a trunk 10 ft. high and 10 ft. in girth, 

 and with a spread of branches of about 14 yards. One had a very twisted and 

 fluted stem. This species is known to the Japanese as Bya Kushin. 



1 This is J. japonica, Carriere, and what is cultivated under that name in Veitch's nursery at Coombe Wood. 



* J. procumbent, Siebold, is a very distinct species. Cf. p. 1422. 3 In Garden and Forest, x. 421 (1897). 

 4 Diels, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. xxix. 220 (1901). 



* Franchet, PI. David, i. 291 (1884), describes, as var. pendula, a form with elongated pendulous branches, found by 

 Pere David in Shensi. 



* Matsumura, Index PI. Jap. 10 (1905), gives as localities, Kunasiii in the Kuriles, Rebunsiri in Yezo, Hakoda in 

 Nippon, and the Liu Kiu Islands. 7 Forest Flora of Japan, 78 (1894). 



8 Shirasawa states " the temple of Kenchoji in the province of Sagami." 



