FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 



11 



ranee of the tir-balsaiii {Ahles balmmea) is due. Fij^. 7 illustrates the 

 cones and cone-scales of several native spruces, while Fig. S atfords a 

 view of a northern tamarack swanij). 



Fig. 7.— Branch, coiifs and cone-scales of various spruces. (From Bull. 7S, 

 Vermont Agric. Kxp. Station, by Miss Anna Cla.k. Loaned by the Univ of 

 Vermont). 



Tril)e Taxodieae. — Seven genera, each with one or two species, 

 all natives of eastern Asia except Srquola, with 2 Californian species, and 

 Tdxodlitni, the bald cypress, with one in Mexico and one in the eastern 

 United States. The nienihers of this tribe furnish conspicuous ex- 

 amples of the vanishing type of gymn()S})erinous vegetation to which 

 we have already made reference (See Supplement, page 4). The stately 

 Se((Uoias, monarchs of the Californian forest, are probably doomed to 

 ultimate extinction, though the redwood [S. sempei'vivens) is much 

 more abundant than the giant sequoia {S. Washington iana), which 

 exists now only in a few carefully preserved groves. The enormous 

 dimensions attained by these trees are well shown in Fig. 1 of the 

 Supplement. The bald cypress [Taxodinm distichum') is familiar to 

 every one who has made a pilgrimage to the Dismal Swamp of Vir- 

 ginia or to any of the large tidal swamps along the southeastern At- 

 lantic coast. Though often grown as a shade tree in southern cities it 

 needs a wet soil in order to thrive, and in such situations it usually 

 develops the remarkable "knees" to a wonderful extent. These knees 

 are woody projections thrown up around the base of the trunk, coni- 

 cal in outline, with a rounded apex, projecting sometimes a foot or 

 more above the surface of the swamp. The bole of the trunk itself is 

 often enormously enlarged, serving as a buttress to anchor the tree 

 firmly in place. A similar enlargement ma}^ be seen in many other 



