CHAP, xii.] ABIETINE^. 219 



THE GENUS ARAUCARIA. 



Araucaria imhricata^ the only hardy species, 

 is a very singular tree. The trunk is quite 

 straight, with a strong leading shoot, and whorls 

 of branches of great length, and far apart from 

 each other, covered closely with scale-like 

 leaves. These large horizontal arms, clothed 

 with closely imbricated leaves, resemble, in the 

 young trees, snakes partly coiled round the 

 trunk, and stretching out their long, slender, 

 flexible bodies in quest of prey. The male 

 and female flowers are on different trees. The 

 male catkins are cone-shaped, the scales serving 

 as filaments to the anthers produced at their 

 base. The cone is round and very large, v.ith 

 numerous wedge-shaped scales, and large eatable 

 seeds or nuts, which have each a short, callous, 

 marginal wing. The trunk is covered with a 

 very thick corky bark ; the wood is white, finely 

 grained, and durable. The trees when wounded 

 yield a milky juice, which hardens into a fine 

 yellow resin ; and the kernel of the nut, which 

 is as large as an almond, is used by the Indians 

 as an important article of food. The tree is a 

 native of the Andes of Peru, and when first in- 

 troduced it was called the Chilian Pine. It has 

 now become quite common in this country, and 

 the Earl of Harrington has planted an avenue 

 with it at Elvaston Castle. 



