206 ABIETINE^. - [part i. 



which open when the seeds are ripe. That of the 

 Cupressinese is also called a cone by botanists, 

 but it is rounder, and has not so many scales. 

 The fruit of the Taxinese is an open succulent 

 cup, bearing the seed or nut in its centre. 



Linnaeus placed nearly all the hardy Abietinese 

 in the genus Pinus, and since his time botanists 

 have disagreed exceedingly respecting the generic 

 names of the different plants; no less than 

 twelve different divisions of them having been 

 published, by as many eminent botanists, since 

 the commencement of the present century. 

 The best, however, appears to be that of M. 

 Richard, which was approved by De Candolle, 

 and which has been adopted with a slight altera- 

 tion in Mr. Loudon's Arboretum Britannicum. 

 According to this arrangement, the hardy 

 Abietinese are divided into five genera; viz., 

 Pinus, the Pine, including all the resinous trees 

 with long leaves, which grow two or more 

 together in a sheath ; Abies, the Spruce Fir, 

 the leaves of which do not grow in a sheath, 

 but are scattered round the branches, the leaves 

 themselves being short, flat, and the same on 

 both sides ; Picea, the Silver Fir, the leaves of 

 which resemble those of Abies, except that the 

 edges curl in, and the under surface is quite dif- 

 ferent from the upper one, being marked with 

 two white lines, one on each side the midrib ; the 



