132 DWABF AND SLOW-GROWING CONIFERS 



nor free. Buds usually in groups of five coalesced in 

 one, the lower buds growing out of the inner central bud 

 and pushing aside its lower scales as they grow. The 

 buds are almost completely concealed by the leaves. 



Branchhts. — Stout, very short, flexible, and rather 

 crowded. Pale green-brown fading to ash-brown. Young 

 branchlets mostly covered with short, light brown pubes- 

 cence varying considerably in density. 



Leaves. — Triangular in section, extremely variable 

 both in size and number, size varying from J inch to 4J 

 inches. Number varjnng from one to five in a sheath, 

 but mostly in twos and fives. Shorter leaves straight, thin 

 and fine, slightly recurving ; longer leaves slightly twisted. 

 Leaves borne singly or in pairs, usually stouter and longer. 

 All leaves pale grass-green with stomatic lines on two 

 sides and none on outer side. Margins sometimes entire, 

 sometimes serrulate towards their tips. Leaves borne 

 in dense tufts at ends of branchlets, and also occasionally 

 in dense patches about midway up the branchlets ; in the 

 latter case they are uniformly small, having the appear- 

 ance of larch or cedar leaves, and persist for several 

 seasons. 



Leaf -Sheath. — Brown, persistent, rolling back and 

 forming a rosette. 



This curious sport is now about fifteen years old, and 

 has made a tiny crowded bush about 9 inches high. It 

 will be seen from the above description that it has points 

 in common with practically all the Cemhroides groups — 

 P. Cemhroides, P. edulis, P. monophylla, and P. Parryana, 

 and also with P. Balfouriana : but Professor A. Henry 

 agrees that the anatomy of its leaves identifies it more 

 nearly with the Cemhroides group than with the Balfouriana 

 group. It may possibly, in the future, produce a normal 

 branch, but for the present, having regard to its stated 

 origin, one can only tentatively recognise it as a seedling 

 sport of P. Cemhroides. It is a most interesting little pine. 



