CUPRESSUS LAWSON I AN A. 
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the two to be identical, as the other characters feem fcarcely fufficient to warrant the eftablifhment of a 
fpecies upon them. 
Geographical Dijlribution. —Found in various parts of Northern California, ufually on the banks of 
ftreams. Mr Murray found it bending gracefully over the brink of a waterfall in the Shafta Mountains, 
in about 40 N. It is found alfo in Scots Valley, and in the diftridt about Port Orford, from which 
circumftance it has come to be known among the fettlers as the Port Orford Cedar. 
Hijlory. Difcovered by Mr William Murray m 1854, m the locality above mentioned. Notwith¬ 
standing that it was the autumn or fruit feafon, only one or two cones were found, the trees generally being 
barren. From thefe, four plants were reared in our Edinburgh Nurferies. The plants grown from thefe 
feeds are the oldeft in Britain ; and the figure at the end of this article is a portrait of one of thefe, although 
by no means the largeft. The fpecimens were fo much admired that Mr Murray made another 
expedition next year expreffly to procure feeds of it. He then found the tree loaded with fruit, and a good 
fupply of feed was fent home. Other fupplies of feeds have fince been forwarded to this country, and it is 
now generally diftributed. 
Mr Gordon in his “Pinetum” fays it is fynonymous with the Chamcecyparis Bourfieri of Carriere. 
He does not, however, give the grounds on which he has come to this conclufion ; but as Carriere fays 
that his C. Bourfieri reaches fuch an enormous height as to have made him almoft confound it with 
Wellingtonia gigantea , and in his very fhort defcription gives no characters by which his plant can be 
difcriminated from a multitude of others, we refrain from adopting the fynonym of Mr Gordon. 
It was named in honour of Mr Charles Lawfon, of Borthwick Hall, Mid-Lothian, who now (1865) 
fills the office of Lord Provoft of the city of Edinburgh. 
Properties and Ufies. —The tree has not yet been known for a fufficiently long period to have thefe fully 
developed. We know that the timber is good, clear, and eafily worked. Its dimenfions and beauty are 
fuch, that a flab was exhibited in San Francifco in i860 as a curiofity. 
Cultivation. —When this plant was firft introduced, we well remember that one of the moft frequent 
comments upon it was, “Yes, it is a beautiful plant, but it looks tender; the green is too delicate; it 
won’t prove hardy.” Never was a prophecy more fignally difproved by fubfequent experience. So far as 
is yet known, there is not a hardier plant in Britain. Expofed in the winter of 1860-61 to the extremeft 
cold which has vifited this country in the memory of the prefent generation, it remained as green and 
frefli in the greateft froft, and moft expofed and unfavourable diftridts, as in the midff of fummer. Mr 
Palmer’s tables give only two flightly injured out of 79 reported on. 
Like all its congeners, it propagates by cuttings with great readinefs. Confiderable diverfity is found 
among feedlings, and thofe diffinguifhed by any peculiarity, being feized on and preferved by nurferymen, 
are rapidly forming a feries of horticultural varieties of this fpecies, as in the case of other Conifers. 
There are two common varieties, one of a very rich dark glaucous green, the other fomewhat paler. 
One variety is clothed with a large amount of filvery mealinefs which gives it a charming effedt. This is 
due to a more than ordinary number of ftomata and a greater proportion of the white efflorefcence which 
is ufually found upon them. The effedt is very much that of frofted filver, whence we propofe to name 
it var. argentea. There is alfo a weeping variety, fomewhat more pendulous in habit than the ordinary 
form. Then there are feveral variegated kinds, having more or lefs of what is called a golden or filver 
variegation. 
The plants in this country have already produced cones, the tree having borne fruit in the fifth year of 
its age. The largeft plant in the country is one of thofe above-mentioned as raifed from the few feeds 
brought from the firft difcovery of the tree in 1854, and now grows in our Nurferies near Edinburgh. It 
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is 
