CHAP. CXIII. 



CONl FEHiE. Pl'CEA. 



'254)1 



spec. Char., 8fc. Leaves 2-rowecl, linear, flat, of the same colour on both 

 sides; sharply 2-toothed at the apex. Crest of the anthers 2-horned. 

 Cones oval ; scales trapezoideo-cordate ; bracteoles roundish, emarginate, 

 irregularly crenulate. {Don in Lamb. Pin.) Leaves 3 in. long. Cone 4J in. 

 long, S^in. broad, of an intense purple. A tree of Kamaon, discovered by 

 Captain Webb and Drs. Govan and Kovle, and introduced by Dr. Royle 

 in 1837. 



Description, Sfc. A large tree. Trunk straight, covered with an ash-grey 

 bark, 80 ft. to 100 ft. high. Branches verticillate, spreading, leafy. Leaves 

 2-rowed, spreading, scattered in insertion, twisted at the base, linear, flat, 

 acutely bidentate at the apex (teeth callous, connivent, and often unequal) ; 

 obtuse and quite entire on the margin ; of the same colour on both sides ; 

 shining, marked above with a somewhat depressed line, rather silvery beneath; 

 when young, having an elevated roundish midrib, 2 in. and more in length, 

 and about I line broad. Male catkins lateral, scattered, cylindrical, 1 in. long, 

 imbricated with many very short, obtuse, concave, dark yellow scales ; scari- 

 ous on the margin. Stamens crowded, imbricated. Filaments very short, 

 distinct. Anthers linear wedge-shaped, dark yellow, 2-celled ; crest very 

 short, coriaceous, rigid, 2-lobed 

 (lobes divergent, horned) ; cells in- 

 serted beneath, swelled, membra- 

 naceous, opening by an oblong fis- 

 sure; one of the cells sometimes 

 abortive, and hence the anther 

 1-celled. Cones lateral, solitary, 

 erect, oval, very obtuse, 5 in. long, 

 greyish brown : scales trapezoid- 

 heart-shaped, somewhat square, co- 

 riaceous, rigid, striated ; superior 

 margin roundish, incurved, quite 

 entire ; angles dilated, recurved, 

 roundish, membranaceous, ragged : 

 stalk angled, very short, keeled on 

 both sides, prolonged above the 

 base : bracteas very short, roundish, 

 emarginate, irregularly crenulated 

 on the margin. Seeds small, angled, brown, shining ; exterior testa 

 (primine) disjoined on the inner side, from the growth of the ovule, 

 lengthened into the large, quite entire, axe-shaped, pale brown wing; inte- 

 rior (secundine) closely investing the nucleus, terminated by a very short, 

 paler, irregularly crenulated wing. (D. Don.) P. Webbidna differs in having 

 leaves only half as long, obtusely emarginate, silvery beneath ; cones cylin- 

 drical, longer ; scales kidney-shaped, roundish ; bracteoles oblong, apiculate ; 

 and finally in the seeds and wing being of a pale bright brown. (Id.) Pro- 

 fessor Don observes that P. Pindrow is liable to be confounded with P. 

 Webhidna ; but that the former is readily distinguished from the latter by its 

 longer and acutely bidented leaves, of nearly the same colour on both sur- 

 faces ; and by its shorter and thicker cones, with trapezoid-formed scales, and 

 rounded notched bracteoles. Dr. Royle, who appears to have been the only 

 botanist who found the tree either in flower or in fruit, states that it grows to 

 a large size, varying from 80 ft. to upwards of 100 ft. in height, with widely 

 spreading branches; and that he met with it at an elevation of 1000ft. above 

 the level of the sea. From cones presented by Dr. Royle to the Horticul- 

 tural Society, one or two plants were raised, in 1837, by the care and attention 

 of Mr. Gordon. It is difficult to decide in the case of any species oi Ab\e- 

 tinae from very young seedling plants ; nevertheless, from those in the Hor- 

 ticultural Society's Garden, and especially from the incipient bifurcations of 

 the leaves at the apex, we feel disposed to consider P. Pindroio as only a variety 

 of P. Webbidnn. 



