286 



A DISAPPOINTMENT. 



Chap. XIII. 



vation. At this height I met with some lycopods, 

 gentians, and other plants not observed at a 

 lower elevation. I also found a hydrangea in a 

 leafless state, which may turn out a new species, 

 and which I have introduced to Europe. If it 

 proves to be an ornamental species it wdll probably 

 prove quite hardy in England. 



We had left the highest point of the mountain 

 ridge, and were gradually descending, when on 

 rounding a point I observed at a distance a slop- 

 ing hill covered with the beautiful object of our 

 search — the Abies Kc&mpferi, Many of the trees 

 were young, and all had apparently been planted 

 by man ; at least, so far as I could observe, they 

 had nothing of a natural forest character about 

 them. One tree in particular seemed the queen 

 of the forest, from its great size and beauty, and 

 to that we bent our steps. It was standing all 

 alone, measured 8 feet in circumference, was fully 

 130 feet high, and its lower branches were nearly 

 touching the ground. The lower branches had 

 assumed a flat and horizontal form, and came out 

 almost at right angles with the stem, but the 

 upper part of the tree was of a conical shape, 

 resembling more a larch than a cedar of Lebanon. 

 But there were no cones even on this or on any 

 of the others, although the natives informed us 

 they had been loaded with them on the previous 

 year. I had, therefore, to content myself with 

 digging up a few self-sown young plants which 

 grew near it ; these were afterwards planted in 



