ABIES. 



Alps of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Siberia, &c. (The common 

 Larch.) 



The Larch is a tree of straight and lofty growth, as well as large 

 bulk, with wide-spreading branches, whose extremities droop in the 

 most graceful manner. In a wild state its form is less regular, but 

 more picturesque. The buds are alternate, perennial, cup-shaped, 

 scaly, each producing annually a pencil-like tuft of very numerous, 

 spreading, linear, bluntish, entire, smooth, tender, bright-green, deci- 

 duous leaves, about an inch long. Involucrating leaves to each flower 

 numerous, recurved, obtuse, with 5 fringe-like teeth, chaffy, red-brown, 

 deciduous. Male flowers yellow, drooping, about 3 an inch long. Axis 

 much shorter than the involucre ; anthers crowded, deflexed, inflated, 

 and 2-lobed in front, with a short recurved point. Female catkins 

 erect, larger than the male flowers, beautifully variegated with green 

 and pink ; carpellary scales orbicular ; bracts much larger, fiddle-shaped, 

 reflexed, with a prominent, awl-shaped green point. This last becomes 

 erect, and somewhat enlarged, projecting always beyond the orbicular 

 carpel, which dilates greatly, hardens, and becomes the seed-bearing 

 scale of the cone. The cones are erect, rather above an inch long, 

 ovate ; purple when young ; reddish-brown when ripe, light, not pon- 

 derous, their scales spreading, orbicular, slightly reflexed, and jagged, 

 or cracked, at the margin. Wing of each seed half-ovate. Smth. 

 Venice turpentine is obtained from the trunk. A saccharine matter 

 called Manna of Brian$on exudes from the branches, and when the 

 larch forests in Russia take fire a gum issues from the trees during 

 their combustion, which is termed gummi Orenbergense ; and which is 

 wholly soluble in water like Gum Arabic. 



CALLITRIS. 



Flowers monoecious on different branches. $ . Catkins ter- 

 minal, oval. Stamens numerous, naked, inserted on the axis ; 

 filaments eccentrically peltate, loosely imbricated ; anther-cells 

 2-5, longitudinally 2-valved, inserted in the stalk below the 

 pelta. j . Receptacle terminal, very short. Scales 4-6, sur- 

 rounding the receptacle, opposite in two rows or ternate in 

 whorls, the pairs or whorls different from each other in form and 

 in the number of the ovules. Ovules 3-9 at the base of each 

 scale, sessile, erect, with their points open. Cone formed of the 

 scales become woody and mucronate under the point, closely 

 converging, but in time opening into 46 valves. Seeds winged 

 on each side. Cypress-like trees. 



1177. C. quadrivalvis Vent. Rich. mem. conif. 46. London 

 Arb. etfrut. '2462. Thuja articulata Desf. atl. iii. 353. t. 252. 

 Sot. Cab. t. 844. Upper part of the province of Temsme, in 

 the kingdom of Morocco. Schousboe. (Arar tree.) 



A tree of enormous size (Schousboe). Branches when young 

 jointed, furrowed, very brittle, leafless ; with whorls of ovate mucronate 

 short scales at the joints. Fruit the size of a large pea, deep purple, 

 glaucous, 4-cornered, with the angles rounded, the sides hollowed out, 

 and a small projecting point near the apex of each hollow ; when ripe 

 555 



