348 CONIFERS. [Pixus. 



TRIBE III. TAXI'NEJE. Flowers dioecious. Cones much reduced ; scales 

 small, thin or coriaceous, the upper with 1 ovule. Seed hard, with a 

 fleshy coat, or seated in a fleshy cup. Pollen globose. 

 Seed solitary, seated in a fleshy cup 3. Taxus. 



1. PI'NUS, L. PINE, FIR. 



Trees ; branches more or less whorled. Leaves evergreen, in clusters of 

 2, 3, or 5. MALE CATKIN with membranous scales. Anther 1, 2-celled. 

 FEMALE CONE usually ripening in the second year ; scales woody. Ovules 

 2, inverted, adnate to the bract ; cotyledons 3 or more, linear ; radicle 

 inferior. DISTRIB. N. hemisphere, from Mexico and Borneo to the Arctic 

 circle. ; species about 110. ETYM. The classical name. 



1. P. sylves tris, L. ; leaves in pairs, cones ovoid, young recurved, 

 seeds winged. Scotch Fir. 



Highlands, ascends to 2,200 ft., rare in a native state ; formerly native over 

 many parts of Britain ; fl. May-June. A tree, 50-100 ft., trunk attaining 

 12 ft. girth ; wood red or white ; bark red-brown, rough. Ltaces 2-3 in., 

 acicular, acute, grooved above, convex and glaucous beneath, minutely 

 serrulate, sheath fimbriate. Male catkins { in., spiked, yellow ; connective 

 produced. Female cones 1-2 in., 1-3 together, acute ; scales few, ends rhom- 

 boid with a transverse keel and deciduous point. Seed in., wing cuneate, 

 much exceeding the nucleus. DISTRIB. Plains of N. and Mts. of S. Europe, 

 Siberia, Dahuria. Yields tar, pitch, rosin, turpentine, and deals. 



2. JUNIP ERUS, L. JUNIPER. 



Trees or bushes ; heart-wood red. Leaves opposite or whorled in threes, 

 all subulate, or on the young shoots subulate, on the old scale-like and 

 appressed. Flowers mon-di-oecious. MALE CATKINS globose. Anther 1, 

 3-6-celled. FEMALE CONE (a galbulus) ripening the 2d year, small, glo- 

 bose, of 4-6 decussate or whorled scales, which are fleshy in fruit, the 

 upper and lower flowerless. Ovules 1-2, erect. Seeds 1-8, free or connate, 

 small, testa bony; cotyledons 2-4, oblong; radicle superior. DIJSTUIB. 

 Temp, and cold N. hemisphere ; species 27. ETYM. The classical name. 



1. J. commu'nls, L. ; leaves in threes subulate pungent jointed on the 

 branch glaucous above, margins and midrib thickened. 

 Open hill-sides, ascending to 2,400 fr.., and var. nana to 2,700 ft. in t.hc High- 

 lands ; fl. May-June. Shrubby, 1-5 ft., rarely subarboreous (10-20 ft.); 

 trunk attaining 5 ft. in girth. Bark flaking, fibrous, red-brown. Leavet 

 -1 in., crowded, lower shorter, oblong-lanceolate, concave. Con? ^-^ in. 

 diam., very fleshy, blue-black, glaucous, with scarious empty scales at its 

 bases. DISTRIB. From the Atlas, Taurus, Himalaya, Japan, and Rocky 

 Mts. to the Arctic regions. A powerful diuretic. 



VAR. 1, commu'ni* proper ; leaves spreading straight subulate. VAR. 2, rta'na, 

 Willd. (sp.) ; leaves shorter broader imbricate incurved. 



3. TAXUS, Tmirnef. Yi.\v. 



A tree or shrub ; wood very tough, heart-wood red ; wood-cells with 

 a spiral line inside. Leaves linear, 2-farious, decurrent ; petiole very short, 

 with a half twist. Floiceris usually dkecious. MALE CATKIN axillary, 



