Botanical Geography of Southern Europe. 307 



Europe from north to south. Let us next consider the sepa- 

 rating lines of vegetation from west to east. Here it is not dif- 

 ficult to find plants which determine the limits, for the firs and 

 oaks are extremely characteristic. 



Our park fir (" Thiergarten-Tanne") (Pinus sylvestris), for 

 I will so term it, owing to the numerous botanical doubts in- 

 volved in the names, does not cross the crest of the Alps towards 

 the south, nor the Rhine towards the west, that is to say, in a 

 wild state ; it is proved historically that it has been often enough 

 planted in France. The foliage of a large and beautiful tree 

 replaces its greyish-green leaves. The pinaster ( Pinus pinaster, 

 Lam., P. maritima, Cand.) forms the great wood of Leiria in 

 Portugal, which Don Diniz caused to be planted, but from na- 

 tive seed. It has quite a different mode of growth from our fir, 

 presenting a pyramid instead of a crown ; the branches form 

 nearly right angles with the stem, and the needle-shaped leaves 

 are very long, and of a dark green colour. Throughout the 

 whole of Spain and the south of France, this tree stretches along, 

 in the vicinity of the Mediterranean Sea, till it reaches Genoa, 

 where it occurs on the Riviera, both to the cast and west of the 

 town. We can recognise the form by its stretched out branches, 

 which make it resemble a chandelier. But the pinaster soon 

 ceases, and there appears in its place the fir of Aleppo (Pinus 

 halepensis), for so it is termed by botanists, who have established 

 it as a rule never to alter a name, however improperly it may 

 have been given. Its long, extremely fine needle-shaped leaves, 

 render this lofty, picturesque tree sufficiently well known. It 

 belongs to the plains of Italy ; while a beautiful fir is proper to 

 the mountains, and has not been long known to us. It is the 

 Laricio (Pinus Laricio) which grows on the mountains of 

 Corsica, in Calabria, and on Etna ; and has much the habit and 

 height of the red-fir (Picea excelsd). It flourished formerly on 

 the low mountains of Italy, as on the Riviera of Genoa ; for 

 Strabo says, that there wood was cut down for masts, and was 

 exported by the inhabitants, who received in exchange oil, an 

 article which was wanting at Genoa. The case is now entirelv 

 reversed. A few years ago, when the foundation of the Theatre 

 of Carlos was laid at Genoa, some fir-cones were found, which 



