SINO-MONGOLIAN FRONTIER 



(b) Angiosperms 



Turning from the gymnosperms we find a great 

 number of trees, comparatively few of which, 

 however, are good wood-producers. In the moun- 

 tainous regions of Shansi and Kansu, and over 

 the loess hills of Shensi, where uncultivated areas 

 occur, we find such small trees as the Hazel, the 

 Birch, a small variety of Poplar and a stunted 

 Oak growing in great profusion, and forming 

 dense coverts for various kinds of game. 



There are several species of Hazel (Corylus)^ 

 one of which (Corylus heterophylla) is a tall, spare 

 tree, scarcely more than a shrub, with small leaves 

 and a very meagre crop of small nuts. This 

 plant grows as a small tree in sheltered spaces in 

 the heavy timber of Larch and Spruce, or as a thick 

 shrub in dense patches on the more exposed slopes. 

 Another species (C. mandshurica) is a large- leafed 

 shrub, which produces a large nut, sometimes in 

 great profusion. This variety is far less common 

 than the other. 



The Birch {Betula sp.), usually occurring at 

 fairly high altitudes, reaches a greater size than 

 the largest Hazel. Its bark readily peels, and is 

 used by the natives in the manufacture of utensils 

 and mats. In the high mountains of Shansi it is 

 particularly abundant. In North Chihli and 

 North Shansi it is often the onl3^ tree growing in 

 sparse woods on the northern slopes of the moun- 

 tains. The trunk seldom reaches a greater dia- 



221 



