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ARBOR VITAE. 



Family: CONIFERS. [Translator's note: now CUPRESSACEAE] 

 Reproductive system: MONOECY, MONADELPHY. 



The Oriental arbor vitae, Thuia [Translator's note: now Thuja] orientalis, Linn., is 

 a tree about thirty feet high with flattened evergreen branches. The leaves form 

 overlapping scales on young branches, but they're sometimes farther apart on the older 

 ones. The flowers form catkins at the ends of the branches. The male flowers form an 

 ovoid catkin consisting of opposite scales with four anthers at the base. The female 

 flowers make up an oval cone formed from scales that terminate in a hook at the tip. 

 Beneath each scale there are two ovaries surmounted with a very short style. The fruit is 

 formed by the scales joining together and it contains several seeds. 



FLOWERS: in March and April. 



MANGE: China; naturalized long ago in the parks and gardens of France and 

 Europe. 



NOMENCLATURE. Thuia, derived from thya, a Greek word that means sacrifice, 

 because when the wood burns it emits a pleasant aroma and a species of Thya was used 

 for sacrifices. In our gardens the Thuia sometimes is called tree of life. 



The white cedar, Thuia occidentalis, Linn., is a tree quite similar to the one above, 

 but its foliage is shiny, not as thick, and it's much more fragrant. The fruits, or cones, 

 have no points or hooks like those on the previous species. 



FLOWERS: in February and March. 



RANGE: North America. It was introduced into France and grown in the King's 

 Gardens at Fontainebleau under Francois I. 



