View PDF version of this page

Fine caroubs had shared the fate of all others, and many of the old stumps proved the large size oi this valuable tree, which, as both fruit-producing and shade-giving, should be sacred in the usually parched island of Cyprus. A t an elevation of about 350 feet above the sea a spring of water issues from the ground and nourishes a small valley of red soil, which slopes downwards towards the monastery, two miles distant. The shrubs were vividly green, and formed so dense a crest that several partridges which I shot remained sticking in the bushes as they fell. I never saw such myrtles as those which occupied the ravines, through which it was quite impossible to force a way. The! principal young trees were Pinus maritima, dwarf! cypress, mastic, caroub, arbutus, myrtle, and wild olive! The name Cupressus horizontalis has been given to the dwarf-cypress, but in my opinion it is not descriptive! of the tree : a cypress of this species, if uninjured, will grow perfectly straight in the central stem for a height! of twenty feet without spreading horizontally. It is! probable that the misnomer has been bestowed irl ignorance of the fact that an uninjured tree is seldom met with, and that nearly every cypress has been] mutilated for the sake of the strong tough leader! which, with one branch attached, will form the one-| fluked anchor required for the roofs of native dwellings already described. In the absence of its leader the tree]' extends laterally, and becomes a Cupressus horizontalisl The wood of this species is extremely dense and hardll and when cut it emits a resinous and aromatic scent | it is of an oily nature, and extremely inflammable. TheJ grain is so close that, when dry, it somewhat resembles) lignum vitse (though of lighter colour), and would fornj a valuable material for the turner. There are two1

View PDF version of this page