546 
CONIFERS. THE CUNNINGHAMIA. 
woods formed of this tree. The circumfer- 
ence of the trunk of the highest trees is 
from twenty-eight feet to thirty feet near to 
the ground. According to Captain Hunter, 
the wood of this tree is short grained, spongy, 
and not by any means adapted for house-car- 
pentry or ship-building, though frequently 
used in the latter capacity. It is almost 
without turpentine, and hence it is not calcu- 
lated to resist decay for many years. The 
wood he represents to be so heavy that five 
trees out of six, when cut down, sank in 
water ; but that out of thirty-seven trees cut 
down for repairing a ship, twenty-seven of 
them were found defective. Captain Cook, 
however, represents the wood as white, close 
grained, tough, and light. " Turpentine," he 
says, " had exuded out of most of the trees, 
and the sun had inspissated it into a resin, 
which was found sticking to the trunks and 
lying about the roots." "Norfolk Island," 
says James Backhouse, " is about seven miles 
long and four broad. A small portion of its 
southern side is limestone ; to the east of this 
there is a still smaller portion of coarse, silice- 
ous sandstone. The remainder of the island 
is basaltic, and rises into hills, covered with 
grass and forest. The highest hill is Mount 
Pitt, which is on the north side of the island, 
and about 1,200 feet above the level of the 
sea. The upper portions of the valleys, and 
the higher parts of the hills, are covered with 
wood. The Norfolk Island Pine {A. excelsa) 
towers a hundred feet above the rest of the 
forest ; it also grows in clumps, and singly, 
on the grassy parts of the island, to the very 
verge, where its roots are washed by the sea 
in high tides. In figure this tree resembles 
the Norway Spruce, but the tiers of its 
branches are more distant. Its appearance is 
remarkably different, in its native soil, from 
what it is in the fine collection of trees at 
Kew, where it nevertheless exhibits many of 
its striking and beautiful features." — {Narra- 
tive, p. 251.) "We measured a Norfolk 
Island Pine twenty-three feet, and another 
twenty-seven feet in circumference. Some of 
them are nearly 200 feet high. The timber 
is not of good quality, but it is used in build- 
ing ; it soon perishes when exposed to the 
weather."— {Ibid. p. 265.) 
Like the other individuals belonging to the 
genus, this plant is highly ornamental, and 
peculiar in the mode of its growth. It should 
by all means be tried in quiet sunny spots 
surrounded by high woods, and sheltered 
sufficiently for a series of winters until twenty 
or thirty years old, when, in all probability, 
it might be gradually inured to the climate 
without close protection. This species is 
propagated both by seeds and cuttings : the 
former mode is to be recommended as pro- 
ducing the handsomer plants. Those four 
feet high are sold at 10Z. each ; plants one 
foot high are two guineas each (1846). 
Salisbury called this plant Eutassa hetero- 
phylla ; and it has been called Dombeya 
excelsa by Lambert, and also Altingia excelsa. 
Araucaria Cunninghamii, Aiton (Cun- 
ningham's Araucaria). — Leaves smooth, 
shining, straight, rigid, varying in form, two- 
rowed, awl-shaped, about half an inch long, 
keeled underneath. Cones resembling those 
of A. imbricata, ovate, terminal, solitary. 
A tall tree, though not by any means equal 
to the foregoing. It is found on the basaltic 
soils of the shores of Moreton Bay, within 
the influence of the sea air ; and, according 
to Backhouse, " further into the interior * it 
forms large woods." This writer observes 
that it is frequently associated with several 
species of Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Banksia, 
and Callitris arenosa, both at Moreton Bay, 
and in the neighbourhood of Brisbane, where 
it rises to the height of 120 feet. Its wood 
is of a pale yellowish colour, and is used for 
boat-building and common purposes at the 
above town. The finest specimens in England 
are at Dropmore and Kew ; but in every case, 
in this country, it requires close protection 
during winter. It is highly probable that, if 
planted within the influence of the sea air, it 
would stand a British climate with very little 
shelter. In order to propagate the species, 
the seeds should be imported in the cones, 
and treated like those of the A. imbricata, 
keeping the young plants in a greenhouse, 
instead of exposing them to the open air. 
Small plants are 10s. 6d. each (1846). 
Araucaria elegans, of gardens. — Not seen 
by the writer, but represented to be an elegant 
addition to the genus, and more worthy of 
attention on account of its being hardy. 
Plants, one foot high, 41. 4s. each, (1846). 
Araucaria gracilis, of gardens. — Another 
elegant plant, with small slender leaves, also 
hardy enough to stand the winter of Britain. 
Plants, one foot high, 41. 4s. each (1846). 
CONIFERiE.— The Cunninghamia. 
Cunninghamia, E. Brown. Named in 
honour of Mr. James Cunningham, the dis- 
coverer ; and of Mr. Allan Cunningham, an 
enterprising botanical explorator. — Evergreen 
small tree. 
Cunninghamia sinensis, Richard (Chinese 
Cunninghamia). — Leaves proceeding at once 
from the branches, scattered in insertion, more 
[* In which he perhaps mistakes it for the recently 
determined A. Bidwilli.~\ 
