4 PINES 



Cones. — Shape, size, their habits, whether per- 

 sistent, deciduous, dehiscent (falling to pieces), 

 whether erect or pendulous, shape of scales, length 

 of stalk, or whether stalkless or sessile (very shortly 

 stalked). We allude to this point further on. 



Resin Canals. — ^This is a subject for the magnify- 

 ing glasses at home rather than the pedestrian abroad, 

 and is explained in the glossary. 



Shoots. — ^Their colour, whether pubescent (downy) or 

 glabrous (smooth) ; this can be seen with the naked 

 eye, but more adequately with a lens. 



Stems. — ^This is a matter of experience, and it is 

 difficult to lay down a rule upon points to be 

 observed. Trunks vary in different localities, and at 

 different ages. 



Flowers. — ^All Conifers are monoecious (having 

 male and female flowers on the same tree), except 

 Fitzroya and Araucaria, which are irregular, some- 

 times monoecious, sometimes dioecious. Floral 

 structure of Pines, Silver Firs, and Spruce. The 

 male flowers are in clusters near the ends of previous 

 year's shoots; the female (ovuliferous) solitary, or in 

 clusters, on ends of the preceding year's shoots. 



How they carry their leaves from their branchlets 

 is often a sign-manual of great significance. When 

 they are uncompromisingly pendulous, as the Pinus 

 Excelsa {par excellence), the Weymouth, the Armandi, 

 etc., or when they are uncompromisingly vertically 

 situate, of which style the Fox-tail Pines are the 

 champion exponents, the road to recognition is 

 smoothed. To exemplify by homely illustration : 

 the pendulous appearance resembles the natural fall 

 of a horse *s mane from the crest of his neck, wliile 

 the vertical style can be likened to the more un- 

 natural state produced by hogging that article; or 

 if we were to draw a simile from a more remote time 

 in equine history, we should say that one resembled 



