BOTANY OF THE ROUTE. 27 



high and a foot in diameter, though commonly smaller, the largest being about Puget Sound. 

 Its wood has all the toughness and elasticity of the European yew, and, like it, was formerly 

 used for bows by the natives. Its larger and brighter leaves, smooth red bark, and coral-red 

 sweet berries, easily distinguish it from the hemlock, which it much resembles in growth and 

 foliage. I have seen it at a height of about a thousand feet on the Cascade mountains. 



But one other coniferous tree is common in the western region — a pine (P. contorta) so much 

 resembling the "Jersey scrub pine" (P. iNOPs) as to be commonly considered identical. It 

 grows in dry, sandy prairies, forming groves along the sea beach and also high up the 

 mountains. It grows forty feet high and two in diameter, but is of little value as timber. 

 The range of the Jersey pine is widely separated from it, and none occur in the interval from 

 Kentucky to the Rocky mountains. 



Besides these seven species, which compose the bulk of the forests, there are a few other 

 coniferous trees which I shall briefly mention, as they occur only in scattered localities, and 

 are therefore of little value. 



A tree called "white spruce," but very distinct from that so named in Canada, found in 

 small numbers about the sound, becoming scarcer towards the Columbia river. It has smooth, 

 white bark, when old becoming dark; very long, shining, dark green leaves, arranged mostly 

 in a single series; and as it branches at regular intervals and in symmetrical whorls, forms one 

 of the most beautiful trees of this family. I never could obtain cones, as they fall to pieces 

 after ripening, but from the characters of its leaves have little doubt of its being Abies 

 TAXIFOLIA, Lambert. It is certainly entirely distinct from the Douglass or red fir. 



A few stunted trees of the yellow or heavy pine, (P. pondeeosa,) already described, are 

 found on the dry, gravelly plain near Steilacoom, but are so stunted as to be scarcely 

 recognizable as the same tree so majestic on the eastern slope of the Cascade range. 



A "white pine" is said to grow abundantly on the Olympia range and along the west side 

 of Hood's Canal, where, I believe, it is sawed into lumber. I could never ascertain whether 

 it was the species found on the Cascade mountains (P. Monticola) or some other. 



The Nootka cypress (Cupressus Nutkatensis) is doubtless found in the Territory, as it grows 

 both northward and far south on the Cascade mountains of southern Oregon, where it was 

 found by my friend Dr. Newberry. From the general similarity of its foliage to that of a 

 juniper, it seems probable that the tree seen by Mr. Gibbs, "in swamps at the mouth of the 

 Snohomish river," was the former, which is much more likely to grow in such a situation than 

 a true juniper. 



A second species of arbor-vitas (Thuya plicata) is said by Nuttall to be found on the islands 

 north of the Straits of Fuca, and probably extends within the Territory. "Cedars" on 

 Whidby's and other islands resemble it in their smaller size and denser branching, but I 

 attributed the variety to soil and did not preserve specimens. 



BROAD-LEAVED TEEES. 



Forests almost exclusively composed of the evergreen coniferae produce, of course, but few 

 trees of other classes; but those found in the Territory are well worthy of special notice, on 

 account of their valuable properties. 



The "foliaceoios" trees there grow almost exclusively on the borders of prairies, river banks, 

 and such open situations; never in the thick forests of evergreens, though sometimes in scattered 



