AllAUCARIA. 25 



sc'i^arated, closely pressing along the stem, and turning back- 

 wards as the tree increases in circumference. Branches, hori- 

 zontal, somewhat ascending at the extremities, regularly divided 

 laterally, in opposite pairs, and quite straight, from 5 to 7 in a 

 whorl, diminishing in length as they ascend higher up the tree, 

 until at the top they terminate in the leading shoot, and form 

 a kind of pyramidal head, lateral branches long, straight, in 

 opposite pairs, and regularly divided ; branchlets, cylindrical, 

 thickly covered all over with leaves, rather slender, undivided, 

 and mostly bent downwards ; male and female on separate 

 trees, male catkins ovate-cylindrical, in clusters of from 6 to 7 

 at the ends of the branches ; females, solitary and erect. Cones 

 very large, globular, solitary, and erect on the ends of the top 

 branches ; from 6 to 8 inches broad, and from 6 to 7 inches 

 long, of a dark brown colour, with the scales regularly and 

 closely imbricated, but when ripe, quite deciduous, and soon 

 dropping to pieces. Scales, numerous, wedge-shaped, curved 

 near the ends, and deciduous, 1 inch broad at the widest part, 

 terminating in a long, flat, thin tail, 1| inch long, and tapering 

 to a fine point. Seeds, very large, from 1 to 1| inch long, bluntly 

 four-sided, afterwards gibbose, compressed on the opposite sides, 

 and ending in a long, flat, inflexed, tapering tail, like those of the 

 scales; of a deep brown colour, I5 inch long, and seven-eighths 

 of an inch at the widest part, and of a leathery texture, each 

 cone producing from 200 to 300 seeds, two to each scale, and 

 ripening towards the end of March. 



A noble tree, growing 150 feet high, and indigenous to 

 Southern Chili, where it is found on the western declivities of 

 the Andes, often reaching the snow line, but never more than 

 2000 feet below it. It forms vast forests in a part of the Andes 

 inhabited by the Araucanians, a people who are said to pride 

 themselves on their name, its signification being frank or free. 

 It is found also in great abundance on the mountains of 

 Caramavida and Naguelbuta in Chili, and in the neighbourhood 

 of Concepcion. The Corcovado, a mountain that rises opposite 

 Chiloe, is said to be studded from its foot to the snow line with 

 large groups of these beautiful trees. 



