The name of this genus is derived from libanos, incense, and Cedrus the Cedar, in allusion to the strong odour emitted by the wood while burning. The few species of which it is composed have a general resemblance, both in foliage and habit of growth, to their near allies the Thujas, with which they were until recently grouped. They are all remarkably handsome evergreen trees, some of them very lofty, and highly valued for their timber, which is of excellent quality, and extensively used for almost every purpose.

Of the known species, only two can be recommended for outdoor cultivation in Britain: the others, though frequently met with, and deservedly popular as conservatory plants, are much too tender for the rigours of even ordinary winters.

Libocedrus Chilensis (The Chilian Libocedrus)

Libocedrus Chilensis (the Chilian Libocedrus), also known as Thuja Chilensis, is found wild in the high sheltered valleys of the Andes of Chili, where it forms vast forests, and attains heights of from 60 to 80 feet. The timber is described as being hard and durable, of a fine yellow colour, and pleasantly fragrant. It was first introduced into British gardens in 1848, and has proved one of the most distinct and beautiful of coniferous shrubs; its close bushy habit, and warm green colour, forming a pleasing contrast to other species of a more diffuse habit and darker hue. It is, however, extremely susceptible of injury from autumn and spring frosts, and in many localities will not survive the winter without protection; though in such as are mild and well sheltered, with the soil sufficiently dry and porous to insure the early ripening of the young shoots, it is found to stand remarkably well, forming a neat conical arborvitas-like shrub, with a great profusion of slender branches, much divided into flat branchlets resembling the fronds of a Lycopodium. The leaves are very small, and have a bright shiny green colour, with a silvery glaucous line along the centre of the under surface.

Though even under the most favourable circumstances a slow-growing plant in this country - and by no means likely to attain such heights as in its native valleys - it is well worthy of a trial wherever a situation suitable for its wants is at the disposal of the lover of a really handsome and distinct ornamental shrub.

Libocedrus Decurrens (The Decurrent-Leaved Libocedrus)

This species, called in some collections "Thuja gigantea," - a name which, as we have pointed out in a former paper, really belongs to the plant popularly known as "Thuja Lobbii," - is indigenous to Upper California, where it is widely distributed, and occurs in considerable abundance at elevations of from 4000 to 5000 feet above the level of the sea: it was first sent home by Jeffrey in 1854, and is one of the best known and most ornamental of that distinguished collector's introductions. In its wild state it is described as a thick bushy tree of from 40 to 50 feet in height, with a stem from 7 to 9 feet in circumference near the ground.

As seen here, it is a plant of great beauty, with a close columnar habit of growth, the stem thickly clothed with long flattened Lycopod-like branches, divided into innumerable branchlets of a dark glossy green colour. Though quite hardy as far as frost is concerned, it is, like many of its allies, impatient of exposure to violent winds, and succeeds best in a sheltered situation; and while it grows in almost any kind of soil, it is always to be seen in the highest perfection in a deep light loam, with a moderately dry and porous subsoil.

It is scarcely necessary to add that this is a strikingly effective plant, either in the mixed shrubbery or as a single specimen in the park or lawn; and that its close spire-like habit of growth, combined with its dark sombre colour, renders it peculiarly useful for avenue rows, particularly when alternated with other Conifers of a more diffuse form, and of lighter green or glaucous tints, such as Cedrus deo-dara or Cupressus Lambertiana.