of deciduous
and evergreen broad-leafed trees and shrubs, mingled together in a
profusion of species. Pure broad-leafed forests of one or two species
are rare, though small woods of oak, of alder and of birch are
occasionally seen. There is nothing comparable to the extensive beech
forests of Europe, the two species of Chinese beech being sporadic and
rare trees. The heaths, _Calluna_ and _Erica_, which cover great
tracts of barren sandy land in Europe, are absent from China, where
the Ericaceous vegetation is made up of numerous species of
_Rhododendron_, which often cover vast areas on the mountain slopes.
Pine forests occur at low levels, but are always small in extent.

The appearance of the vegetation is very different from that of the
United States, which is comparable to China in situation and in
extent. Though there are 60 species of oak in China, many with
magnificent foliage and remarkable cupules, the red oaks, so
characteristic of North America, with their bristle-pointed leaves,
turning beautiful colours in autumn, are quite unknown. The great
coniferous forest west of the Rocky Mountains has no analogue in
China, the gigantic and preponderant Douglas fir being absent, while
the giant _Sequoias_ are represented only on a small scale by
_Cryptomeria_, which attains half their height.

Certain remnants of the Miocene flora which have disappeared from
Europe are still conspicuous and similar in North America and China.
In both regions there are several species of _Magnolia_; one species
each of _Liriodendron, Liquidambar_ and _Sassafras_; and curious
genera like _Nyssa, Hamamelis, Decumaria_ and _Gymnocladus_. The
swamps of the south-eastern states, in which still survive the once
widely spread _Taxodium_ or deciduous cypress, are imitated on a small
scale by the marshy banks of rivers near Canton, which are clad with
_Glyptostrobus_, the "water-pine" of the Chinese. _Pseudolarix,
Cunninghamia_ and _Keteleeria_ are coniferous genera peculiar to
China, which have become extinct elsewhere. The most remarkable tree
in China, the only surviving link between ferns and conifers, _Ginkgo
biloba_, has only been seen in temple gardens, but may occur wild in
some of the unexplored provinces. Its leaves have been found in the
tertiary beds of the Isle of Mull.

Most of the European genera occur in China, though there are curious
exceptions like