244 



A MANtTAL OF THE CONIFERS. 



Retinospora lep- 

 toclada— A low tree 

 or shrub, of fasti- 

 giate or pyramidal 

 habit, and silvery 

 bluish - grey foliage. 

 The branches are 

 close-set along the 

 stem, short, sub-erect, 

 and much divided ; 

 branchlets flattened, 

 fern-like, and clus- 

 tered towards the 

 extremities of the 

 branches and their 

 numerous sub - divi- 

 sions. The leaves 

 are of two kinds, 

 the primoidial ones 

 linear awl - shaped, 

 recurved, and light 

 glaucous green ; the 

 later ones scale-like, 

 closely appressed to 

 the branchlets, and 

 deeper in colour. 



The shrub cultivated in this country under the name of Retinospora 

 leptoclada originated many years ago in the Nursery of M. Canchois, 

 at Andelys, in France. It appeared among a batch of seedlings of 

 Gupressus thyoides, and the proprietor finding it of very different habit 

 and aspect from the others, propagated it by cuttings, and subsequently 

 exhibited young plants of it at Paris, under the name of Chamcecy- 

 paris sphceroidea Andelyensis. The stock passed into the hands of 

 Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, of London, by whom it was 

 introduced to British gardens under the name it now bears. The 

 plant described by M. Carriers, under the name of R. leptoclada, and 

 which he affirms to be distinct from the Andelys plant,* is unknown 

 to us. His statement that it " habite le Japon, d'ou elle fut importee 



* II n'a aucun rapport avec la plante que la plupart des horticulteurs vendent sous ce 

 meme nom Retinospora leptoclada. 



Fig. 55. — Retinospora filifera. 



