118 TYPES OF BRITISH PLANTS 
rich red trunk, which contrasts superbly in a pine wood 
with the green foliage of just the same depth. 
The Cypress group includes rather widely differing 
forms. The “sad cypress” itself has not the needle- 
shaped leaf, but the tree, which grows very much after the 
manner of a poplar, is clothed with small, shining green, 
scale-like leaves. Its cones, which are spherical and about 
1} inches in diameter, mark it out at once by the peculiar 
shape of the scales when ripe. The top of each scale is 
swollen, somewhat after the fashion of the wrinkled shields 
of the Yew stamens, but of course on a larger scale. 
As we opened our cone-bearing plants with a berry, so 
we may close them, for the Juniper cone-bracts, when 
ripe, become juicy and join together to form a rich dark 
berry, used to flavour spirits, and giving their name to 
gin. The English Juniper is a shrubby and thorny plant, 
which may be found on chalky commons (e.g. Moulsford 
Downs), and which looks a rather degenerate specimen 
of the family, but it has near relatives that supply useful 
timber. or instance, the red wood of which cigar-boxes 
are made is the product of an American Juniper tree. 
As to the practical importance of the whole family, a 
moment’s thought will make you rank its members very 
high. In boat-building, ship-building, and house-building, 
deal and pine are used. If a flour-mill is supplied with 
new machinery, red pine is called in for spouts and 
elevators. Nearly every floor in a room has deal boards, 
and much of our oak and mahogany furniture is backed 
up by deal. Since, in addition to this, they clothe 
mountain sides, and keep green and look as cheerful as 
they can during winter, we shall agree that they are 
worthy of closer and more individual attention than most 
of us are in the habit of giving to them. 
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