, 1877-03-17

that not very many such generations can
have tl0urshed Just there, at least in an
uDbrOken series. When their site was
covered by glaciers, these ,Seguoias must
have occupied other stations, it, as there
is reason TO believe, they then existed in
the land.
| have said that the redwoods have
N" near relatives in the country Of their
abode, and none Of their genus else.
where. Perhaps something may be
learned ot their gcn"alogy by inquring
OF srch relations as they have. There
are only two of any particular nearncss
OF kin; and they are far away. One is
the bald cypress, oun Southern cy-
press, 7aco3iNm, inhabiting the
swamps OF the Atlantic coast from
Maryland to Texas, thence extending
with, probably specific difference
INTO Mexico. 1t is well known as one
Of the largest trees of our Atlantic for.
est-district, and, although it ncver-eX.
cept perhaps in Mexico, and in rure.in-
stNnCes-attains the portliness of its
western relatives, yet it may equal them
in longevity. The other relative is
GigPt0arOtRS, sort Of modified 7dg0di-
nm, being about as much like our bald
cypress ms one species of redwood is like
another
Now species OF the same type are usu
ally associated together, where it is not
so, there is something to he explained ;
especially in an instance like this these
four trees, sole representatives. of their
tribe, dwell almost in three separate
quarters at the globe the two redw0ods
in California, the bald cypress in Allan.
tic North America, its near relative,
G(ypt0strolaS, it China
"lt was not always so. In the Ter.
tiary period, the geological botanists
assure us, our own very Tdaolipm or
bald cypress, and u Gigytostroias, ex-
cecdingly like the present Chinese tree,
and more than one Sequ0ia Co.eXistcl in
fourth quarter of the globe, viz, i'll
Europe"
There is another set Of three or four
peculiar trees, in this case of the yew
family, which have just the same pc
culiar distribution, and which therefore
may have the same explanation"
The genus Torreya, named after DR..
Torrey, was discovered about thirty. five
years ago, in northern Florida. at is a
noble yew like tree, and very local, be.
ing, so far as known, nearly confined ia
a few miles along single river" Nov
another species OF Torreya is charac.
teristic tree of Japan and one very like
it, il not the same, nhabits the mount
aims of Northern China, belongs, there
fore, to the eastern Asiatic temperate
region, OF which Northern China is a
part, and Japan, as we shall see, the
portion most interesting to US. There
is only one more species of Torreya, and
that is a companion of the redwoods of
California 1t is the tree locally known
under the name of the California nutmeg.
Here are three or four near brethren,
species of the same genus, known no.
where else than in these three habitats.
Moreover the TOrreya of Florida is asso.
ciuted with yew; and the trees of this
grove are the only yew trees Of Eastern
North America, Tor the yew Of our nor
thern woods is deCumbent shrub. A
yew tree perhaps the same, is found with
YGrOdium in the temperate parts Of
Mexico. The only other yews in Amer
lea grow with the redwoods and other
Torrcya in California, and extend north
ward into Oregon, Yews are also asso-
ciated with Torreya in Japan; and they
extend westward through MOntcharia
and the Himalayas to Western Europe,
and even to the Azores Islands, where
occurs the common yew of the Old
World
So we have three groups of coniterous
trees which agree in this peculiar geo,
graphical distribution;
First, The redwoods and their reIa.
tive 7acodiam and GlypiostrotuS, which
differ so us to constitute genus for each
of the three regions. Second, The Tor
reyas, more nearly akin, merely differ
cnt species in each region Third, The
vews atill more closely relatcd. while