CONIFERAK 295 



planted by the hands of its venerable Founder, more than a cen- 

 tury ago. The wood of this tree is soft, fine-grained, and exceed- 

 ingly durable ; for which quality, while plentiful, it was preferred, 

 and much used for making shingles, wherewith to roof houses, 

 ft Flowers mostly dioicous; strobile drupe-like, not opening. 



398. JIWIP'ERIJS, L. 



[The Classical Latin name.] 



STAMINATE AMENTS axillary or subterminal, ovoid, very small; fila-, 

 ments short and thick, bearing a scale-like excentrically peltate 

 connective; anther-cells 3 to 6, attached to the lower edge of the 

 scale. FERTILE AMENTS axillary, ovoid, consisting of 3 to 6 fleshy 

 1- to 3-ovuled coalescent carpellary scales. Fruit globular, small, 

 scaly-bracteate at base. Seeds I to 3, angular, bony ; cotyledons 2. 

 Shrubs, or trees : leaves evergreen, rigid, subulate, or scale-like. 



1. J. commitnis, L. Leaves verticillate in threes, linear-subulate, 

 cuspidate, spreading, concave and glaucous above. 



COMMON JUNIPERUS. Juniper. 



Stem 6 to 8 or 10 feet high, with numerous erect branches, or sometimes with, 

 low spreading straggling branches. Leaves % an inch to % in length, pungently 

 acuminate, keeled and shining green beneath. Staminate aments 2 to 3 lines in 

 length, russet-color. Strobiles (called berries) about 2 lines in diameter, bluish- 

 black and glaucous when mature. 

 Hob. Rocky woods. Nat. of Europe. PL April. Fr. 



Obs. This is often seen in gardens, and is partially naturalized. 

 It is also sometimes used, on a small scale, for ornamental hedges. 

 The alcoholic liquor called Gin, or Geneva, derives its flavor from 

 the drupe-like fruit of this shrub. 



2. J. Virginian a, L. Leaves in four rows, on the young 

 branches ovate, acute, appressed on the older ones, subulate and 

 somewhat spreading, green. 



VIRGINIAN JTINIPERUS. Red Cedar. 



Stem 30 to 50 feet high, often with longitudinal obtuse ridges. Leaves mhrate, 

 those on the young branches scarcely a line in length, opposite and decussate, im- 

 bricated, and making the branches 4-angled ; those on the older branches 3 to 5 or 

 6 lines long, and cuspidate. Strobiles (or berries) about 2 lines in diameter, tuber- 

 culate with the points of the scales, dark blue when mature, and covered with a 

 bright bluish-glaucous bloom. 

 Hob. Fence-rows ; neglected fields, &c. : frequent. Fl> April. Fr. Octo. 



Obs. The wood of this tree is reddish and fine-grained, very 

 durable, and valuable. 



SUBORDER III. TAXm'EAE. 



Flowers dioicous; fertile fiowers solitary, destitute of carpellary scales, sessile, in a 

 bracteate disk, or concaTe peduncle; ovule naked, erect, ripening into a nut-like 

 teed, which is partly immersed in the centre of the thickened fleshy cup-like disk ; 

 bvdt scaly. 



399. TAX/ITS. Tournef. 

 [Probably from the Gr. Taxon, a bow; the wood being used for bows.] 



STAMINATE AMENTS axillary, globular, small, exserted from scaly 



