2G4 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



GENUS I.-^F I N U S. Toumef. 



Flowers moiKEcious. Male flowers in rather small ovoid catkins 

 arranged in spikes, reduced to naked stamens: anther-cells 2, placed 

 upon a scalelike shortly-stalked connective. Female flowers in ovoid 

 catkins consisting of numerous imbricated scales, each scale in the 

 axil of a deciduous bract, and bearing 2 inverted ovules, which are 

 produced into a tube at the apex, i.e. towards the axis of the catkin. 

 Fruit a cone, formed of imbricated persistent woody scales, often 

 thickened at the exposed part (escutcheon) of the apex. Seeds 2 on 

 each scale, with a bony testa, and a very thin membranous wing; 

 albumen fleshy; cotyledons 3 to 12; radicle inferior. 



Resinous trees, rarely shrubs, with scaly buds, the primary leaves 

 scarious, the secondary leaves filiform-acicular, in fascicles of 2 to 5 

 in the axils of the deciduous chafilike primary leaves. Wood marked 

 with disks in single rows, or if in double rows with the disks of the 

 same height, in either case without spiral markings. 



The name of this genus of plants is derived from the Greek word ttivoc, a pine 

 tree, as used bj Theophrastus. Some authors derive the word Pinus from j>m?- or pyn, 

 a mountain or rock in Celtic, in allusion to the habitat of the tree : the British towns 

 Penryn, Penrith, and Penmacn, and others, are so called from being built on or near 

 rocks. 



SPECIES I.— PINUS SYLVESTRIS. Linn. 



Plate MCCCLXXX. 



Beich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XI. Tab. DXXI. Fig. 1127. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 3212. 



Leaves 2 in a fascicle, distributed all round the stem, rather long, 

 rigid, channeled above, convex beneath, acute and pungent, finely car- 

 tilaginous-serrulate, glaucescent. Anther-scale very slightly prolonged 

 beyond the anther-cells. Cones shortly stalked, solitary or in pairs, 

 rarely in whorls of 3, reflexed from the first, when mature short, 

 lanceolate-conical, acute, of rather few scales ; escutcheon of the scales 

 much thickened, rhombic, with the diagonals nearly equal, convex, 

 with a blunt transverse keel and a small reflexed central deciduous 

 tubercle. Solid part of the seed one-fourth of the length fi-om the base 

 of the seed to the apex of the Aving ; wing pale brown, concolorous. 



On heathy mountains, formerly widely distributed, but now native 

 only in the Highlands of Scotland, especially in Braemar, and at 

 Kothicmurchus. Possibly in co. Mayo, a single tree, at the head of 

 Lough Conn, may be the last relic of an ancient Irish forest. It is 



