All the cypresses are undoubtedly valuable from a garden point of
view, but the various species vary in degree as regards their utility
as ornamental subjects. I should rank them in the following order in
point of merit: C. Lawsoniana, C. nutkaensis, C. macrocarpa, C.
sempervirens, C. thyoides, C. Macnabiana, and C. Goveniana; then would
follow C. torulosa, C. funebris, C. Knightiana, and other Mexican
species. These are placed last, not because they are less elegant than
the others, but on account of their tenderness, all being liable to
succumb to our damp and cold winters. The species which concerns us at
present, C. torulosa, is an old introduction, seeds of it having been
sent to this country by Wallich so long back as 1824, and previous to
this date it was found by Royle on the Himalayas, growing at
elevations of some 11,500 feet above sea level. Coming from such a
height, one would suppose it to be hardier than it really is, but its
tenderness may probably be accounted for by the wood not getting
thoroughly ripened during our summers. It is a very handsome tree,
said to reach from 20 feet to 125 feet in height in its native
habitat. It has a perfectly straight stem; the growth is pyramidal or
rather conical, and the old wood is of a warm purplish-brown. The
foliage is a glaucous gray-green, and the branches have a twisted and
tufted appearance.

There are several varieties of it which are, or have been, in
cultivation. Of these one of the best is corneyana, which Gordon
ranked as a distinct species. It was supposed to be Chinese, and was
introduced to cultivation by Messrs. Knight & Perry, the predecessors
of Messrs. Veitch at the Chelsea Nurseries. It differs from C.
torulosa proper, its habit being of low stature, and has slender
pendulous branches; hence, it has been known in gardens by the names
of C. gracilis, C. cernua, and C. pendula. Other varieties of C.