Chap. XIX. 



THE GLYCINE. 



337 



When I reached Chusan, in latitude 30° north, I 

 found a remarkable change in the appearance of the 

 vegetation. Tropical forms had entirely disappeared, 

 or were rarely met with. Although the summers 

 were as warm, or even warmer, than they were in 

 the south, yet the winters were nearly as cold as 

 those we have in England. At this place, and all 

 over the provinces of Chekiang and Kiang-nan, the 

 Glycine seemed to be at home. It grew wild on 

 every hill-side, scrambling about in the hedges by the 

 footpaths, and hanging over and dipping its leaves 

 and flowers into the canals and mountain-streams. 



But by far the most beautiful effect is produced 

 when it attaches itself to the stems and branches of 

 other trees. This is not unfrequent in nature, and is 

 often copied by the Chinese and introduced into their 

 gardens. One can scarcely imagine anything more 

 gorgeous or beautiful than a large plant of this kind 

 in full bloom. Its main and larger branches are 

 entwined round every branch and branchlet of the 

 tree, and from them hundreds of small ones hang 

 down until they nearly touch the ground. The whole 

 of the branches are covered with flower-buds, which 

 a day or two of warm weather brings rapidly forward 

 into bloom. To form an idea of the effect produced 

 by these thousands of long lilac racemes, one must 

 imagine a floral cascade, or a weeping willow covered 

 with the flowers of the Glycine. There are some 

 large specimens of this kind on the island of Chusan. 

 One, in particular, was most striking. Not content 

 with monopolising one tree, it had scrambled over a 



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