Class XXI. Order IX. 359 



The wood is fine grained, and is susceptible of a good polish. 

 It is however said to be liable to warp, and by no means durable 

 when exposed to the weather. 



MONJWELPHl.fl. 



418. P1NUS. 



PINUS RIGIDA. L. Pilch Pine. 



Leaves in threes ; cones ovate, clustered ; spines of 



the scales reflexed ; sheaths of the leaves short. Lamb. 



Tlic Pitch Pine is a very common inhabitant of barren, sandy 

 tracts of land. Its bark is very thick, and rough with deep, ir- 

 regular clefts. The leaves are of moderate length, needle shaped, 

 and united three together in a common sheath. The cones are 

 ovate or pyramidal, the scales rigid, each one armed with a 

 short, acute, reflexed spine. 



The wood abounds in turpentine, and contains a large portion 

 of alburnum or sap. It is occasionally employed in building, but 

 is chiefly used as a light fuel, under the form of " split pine." 



PINUS STROBUS. L. White Pine. 



Leaves in fives ; cones cylindrical, longer than the 

 leaves, loose. Ait. 



This noble and very useful tree rises with a straight trunk 

 to an uncommon height. Its bark is comparatively smooth, and 

 in young trees it is without fissures. The branches are gives 

 off in whorls or circles. The leaves are much finer and more 

 delicate than in the last species. They grow in fascicles of five 

 together, with hardly any sheaths. The cones are very long, 

 cylindrical, curved, and pendulous ; composed of large, smooth, 

 loose scales. 



The trunk possesses very little resin, and its portion of sap 

 wood is comparatively small. The texture of the wood is fine 

 and soft. No tree is more extensively employed in building, or 

 for the ordinary purposes of carpenters' and joiners' work. The 

 large trees are particularly in request for the masts of ships, and 

 vast quantities of the wood have been annually exported from 

 the eastern coast in the form of timber and boards. 



