200 



DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



wood is of a beautiful pink red colour, but soft. It is re- 

 markable for the hollow excrescences produced by the roots 

 at a considerable distance from the tree, which rise to the 

 height of 2 or 3 feet ; they are used for many domestic 

 purposes in its native country. 



One of the few rare trees left in the original arboretum 

 ground at Kew is a species of Cypress planted one hundred 

 years ago by the first Alton, who considered it a variety of C. 

 disticha, but the time of its introduction and native country is 

 not specially recorded. During the last fifty years it has been 

 known by the name of Cupressus, or Taxodium pendula; it 

 is now about 35 feet high, with a girth of 2 feel, and in 

 general habit resembles C. disticha — more slender in growth, 

 with drooping branchlets and longer leaflets, not distichous. 

 A few years ago it flowered, which enabled it to be identified 

 as a native of China, and has been characterized by the 

 botanist Endlicher as a distinct genus — Glyptostrohus {G. 

 pendula). A species described as growing in the vicinity of 

 Canton, which may be considered as the locality fi:om 

 which the Kew plant came, and probably the same species, 

 but which does not appear to have been again reintro- 

 duced. 



Evergreen Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) . A native of 

 Western Asia. It has long been cultivated in this country 

 and throughout the southern parts of Europe. It is much 

 planted about Mohammedan burial-grounds, as may be seen 

 in the neighbourhood of Constantinople. It attains the height 

 of from 40 to 60 feet, but in this country seldom reaches 

 20, and maintains a compact pyramidal form. Some Bible 

 commentators suppose it to be the " Gopher wood" of 

 which Noah was commanded to build the ark. But there is 

 no evidence to prove this as being the tree. It grows on 

 Mount Lebanon, and is probably one of the trees spoken of 

 as " cedar" in Solomon's time. 



Cedar of Goa {Cupressus Lusitamca). Said to be a native 

 of the Western Peninsula of India, and introduced by the 

 Portuguese from Goa to Portugal, wbere it forms natural 



