THE FIR AND CYPRESS FAMILY. 



201 



forests j it is not sufficiently hardy to stand the winters of 

 this country. Allied to these is C. macrocavita^ a large tree, 

 native of California, and up to 1867 supposed to be hardy, 

 but the severity of that winter destroyed nearly all the plants 

 in the country, the original ones being nearly thirty years 

 old. 



Funeral Cypress (^Cupressus funehris) . A remarkable tree, 

 native of China, having pendulous branches like the weeping 

 willow. It has been introduced, but is not found to be quite 

 hardy. 



Arbor Vitae {Thuja occidentalis), a native of North Ame- 

 rica, and T. orientaLis of China, are with us well known orna- 

 mental low bushy trees, and with other species in their 

 respective countries form gigantic trees, such as Lihocedrus 

 chilensis and L. tetragona, fine timber trees, natives of Chili, 

 and represented in New Zealand by L. Doniana. These 

 have been introduced to this country, but are not suffi- 

 ciently hardy to live in the open air. 



Sandarach (CalUtris quadrivalvis^ also known as Thuja 

 articulata). A small tree, native of Algeria and other parts 

 of North Africa. It seldom exceeds the height of thirty feet, 

 and has hard dark-coloured fragrant wood that takes a fine 

 polish, and is used in ornamental cabinet work, of which 

 there are fine specimens to be seen in the Museum at Kew. 

 It was highly prized by the Greeks and Romans, and is be- 

 lieved to be the " thyine wood" mentioned in the Revela- 

 tion,* which, if so, " the merchants of the earth" must have 

 carried it as far as Babylon. It produces a very odoriferous 

 resin, which is used for varnishing. 



Juniper (Juniperus communis). A low bushy shrub found 

 growing in uncultivated heathy and rocky places throughout 

 Europe. Its berries are used for flavouring gin. 



Pencil Cedar {Juniperus Bermudiand). A native of the 

 island of Bermuda, forming a small tree or bush. It is gene- 

 rally understood that this is the black-lead pencil wood, 



* Chap, xviii. ver. 12. 



