160 Postelsia 
are conspicuous objects beneath the trees. 
Throughout the greater part of its range, Pinus 
monticola grows at high altitudes, reaching up 
to ten thousand feet in California, but in south- 
western Vancouver Island it grows sparingly 
throughout the coast forest and is often abund- 
ant a short distance back from the shore at an 
altitude of about five hundred feet. Even at 
this altitude the summer fogs are much lighter 
than upon the shore, and the summer days are 
generally warmer. Trees close to the ocean are 
usually somewhat stunted in growth. 
Pinus albicaulis Engelmann, Trans. St. Louis 
AMCad. 2-200. 1802: 
A small alpine tree with stout flexible 
branches; foliage leaves in fascicles of five, stout, 
rigid, dark green, acute, 4-7 centimeters long; 
cones dark purple, oval or subglobose, hori- 
zontal, sessile, 4-9 centimeters long; cone-scales 
much thickened, terminating in stout incurved 
triangular tips; seeds 1.5 centimeters long, fall- 
ing without any attached wing. In the high 
mountains of British Columbia south of latitude 
