Coniferae. 



The Pine Family. 



Distribution. — The Coniferae form a widely distributed and ancient family, 

 having been well represented in the Carboniferous Age. In the northern regions 

 of the northern hemisphere they outnumber the ordinary broad-leaved trees by 

 about ten to one, and are of great importance and utility. The order includes a 

 number of large and valuable timber-trees, whose juices are almost invariably 

 resinous, and are used in the manufacture of turpentine, pitch, and Canada 

 balsam. Some of the New Zealand genera, such as Agathis, Phyllocladus and 

 Dacrydium differ much from the true pines, but all possess the same straight, 

 strong timber and resinous secretions. Outside New Zealand the best known 

 species are the Scotch Fir, the Norway Pine, the Californian Redwood, the 

 English Larch, the Norfolk Island Pine, the Deodar of the Himalayas, and the 

 Cedar of Lebanon. The last named is one of the most majestic and imposing of 

 trees. Sequoia gigantea of California (the Wellingtonia of our gardens), is the 

 largest known Conifer, the finest specimen seen having reached the height of 

 329 feet ; while the tiny Dacrydium laxifolium, 2 inches in height, found in 

 alpine districts in New Zealand, is the smallest. 



Chief Characters. 



The true Pine has a branching trunk and evergreen leaves, 

 which are pointed and needle-Hke — sometimes set in httle 

 bundles of two, three, or five. The plants bear pistillate 

 and staminate flowers upon the same stem. The staminate 

 flower is composed of a floral axis, bearing a number of 

 stamens, and the pistillate flowers form a catkin, each flower 

 being composed of a scale-like bract" with ovules suspended 

 on its inner surface. When the flowers ripen, these scales 

 become hard and thickened at the top, thus forming the 

 collective fruit called a cone. 



The cone of the fir-tree differs from that of the pine, being 

 furnished with thin scales, rounded at the apex. Its leaves 

 also are more scattered. The leaves of the Larches 

 spring from a bundle of scaly buds, and become scattered 

 or solitary by the lengthening of the stem. The im- 

 brications of the cone are very loose, and the leaves 



*Tlie homologies of the various parts are still in dispute. 



