Scientific Intellige?ice. — Botany, 401 



nia^ discovered by Mr David Douglas. — In Vol. xv. of the 

 Transactions of the Linnean Society, there is an account of a 

 new and interesting species of pine, from California, by Mr 

 Douglas, who proposes to name it Pinus Lambertina, and gives 

 the following as its specific character. P. foliis quinis rigidis 

 scabrusculis, vaginis brevissimis, strabilis crassis longissimis cy- 

 lindricis; squamis laxis rotundatis. It covers large districts in 

 Northern California, about a hundred miles from the ocean, in 

 Lat. 43° north, extending as far to the south as 4°. It grows 

 sparingly upon low hills, and the undulating country east of a 

 range of mountains, running in a south-western direction from 

 the Rocky Mountains towards the sea, where the soil consists en- 

 tirely of pure sand. The trees do not form dense forests, like 

 most of the other pines which cover the face of North-West 

 America, but, like those of Pinus resinosa, are scattered singly 

 over the plains. The trunk attains a height of from 150 to 

 200 feet, varying from 20 to near 60 feet in circumference. 

 The trunk is unusually straight, and destitute of branches 

 about two-thirds of the height. The bark is uncommonly 

 smooth for such large timber, of a light brown colour on the 

 south, and bleached on the north side. The branches are ra- 

 ther pendulous, and form an open pyramidal head, with that 

 appearance which is peculiar to the Abies tribe. The leaves 

 are rigid, from 4 to 5 inches long, of a bright green colour, and 

 grow in fives. The cones are pendulous from the extremities 

 of the branches, and, when ripe, are about 11 inches in circum- 

 ference at the thickest part, and from 12 to 16 inches in length. 

 The scales are lax, rounder, and destitute of spines. The seeds 

 are large, eight lines long, and four broad, and of an oval form. 

 Their kernel is sweet and pleasant to the taste. The embryo 

 has twelve or thirteen cotyledons. The timber is white, soft, and 

 light. It abounds in turpentine reservoirs, and its specific gra- 

 vity is 0.463. The whole tree produces an abundance of am- 

 ber coloured resin. That which exudes from the trees, when 

 they are partly burned, loses its usual flavour, and acquires a 

 sweet taste, in which state it is used by the natives as sugar, 

 being mixed with their food. The seeds are eaten roasted, or 

 are pounded into coarse cakes for their winter store. The ver- 



JULV- — SEPTEIIBER 1828. C C 



