p. PARVIFLORA 15 



this group, but to that of the Cembrae. By its 

 leaves, pendulous, bent, and spreading, like several of 

 the Strobi Group, it seems to clamour at their gates 

 for admission. It has, so far as we can see, been 

 sternly denied admittance on account of the shape 

 of the cones it carries. They are thicker, it is 

 true, than most of the Strobi, and for the matter 

 of that longer than most of the Cembra?. The Strobi 

 Group, it must be concluded, appears to be very sensi- 

 tive on this point, and rather pride themselves on 

 this slender cone habit. We discuss the Armandi 

 farther on, where its name is to be found under 

 the aegis of its family group the Cembrae. 



P. Parviflora. — We have now only the P. Parvi- 

 flora of the Strobi Group to deal with. How it con- 

 trived to obtain an entry into this exclusive family 

 circle is a matter of wonder to the less deeply 

 initiated. Although we may amuse ourselves by 

 carping at the position it takes up generically, it 

 must be clearly understood that we have nothing 

 to urge against it for the position it takes up geo- 

 graphicall}' ; on the contrary it is a tree that with 

 general acceptance is looked upon as decorative, and 

 peculiarly suited to many sites. The tree distinctly 

 has its charms, but among the other members of 

 the Strobi it looks as a parvenu in their midst. It 

 is a short-leaved, short-coned, with short sessile 

 stalks (the reverse of a Strobi characteristic), and 

 short-grown specimen by the side of its more elon- 

 gated fellow tribesmen in every phase. Although its 

 presence is rather apologised for by those who have 

 placed it there, and looked rather more carefully 

 into the details of its passport than we are able to — 

 although it is rather hinted even there that it is to 

 be looked upon more in the light of a missing link 

 between the Strobi and Cembrae — the fact cannot be 



