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during winter would collect among them, and break the 

 branches by its weight. Their great slenderness prevents 

 any such effect, allowing the snow to pass between them. 

 This precaution is unnecessary in India, where snow is 

 unknown. Nevertheless, Liquidambar is to be referred 

 to this order, though it bears no such slender, but rather 

 broad, foliage ; nor is it a native of a cold country." 



" The plants of the present order are denominated Co- 

 nifera, because they bear Strobili, which the older bota- 

 nists called Coni, Cones. A cone and a catkin are closely 

 related to each other. The latter bears several imbricated 

 flowers about a common receptacle or axis. Under each 

 flower a membranous scale or bractea is attached, which 

 if it hardens and becomes woody, the catkin becomes a 

 cone. Hence a cone is nothing more than a permanent 

 or hardened catkin." 



" All the Corriferce properly bear cones, though in 

 some instances their fruit seems of a totally different na- 

 ture. For instance, the fruit of Jwiiperus has all the ap- 

 pearance of a berry, and is universally so called. Yet it 

 is no other than a strobilus, whose scales are replete with 

 pulp, and do not split asunder ; being in fact six fleshy 

 united scales, in each of which is concealed a solitary 

 seed. Taxus has a berry, which is merely a fleshy re- 

 ceptacle, dilated so as nearly to cover the seed, so that 

 the apex of the latter only appears. Liquidambar has a 

 singular kind of fruit, which nevertheless is a strobilus, 

 whose scales are combined, each of them containing se- 

 veral seeds ; whereas in other instances one or two seeds 

 only belong to each scale." 



"Some have united this order with the last, but they 

 differ essentially. The Conifera have not only hardened 

 scales, but likewise monadelphous stamens, the filaments 

 of all of them being combined at the base." 



"The fruit in this whole order, Liquidambar excepted, 

 is biennial. It is produced in the spring, remaining in 

 an unripe state through the summer, and till the following 





