CONIFEK^, OR CONE-BEARING TREES. 259 



em conifers, but none of these and several other species and 

 varieties that have been introduced from abroad, are abundant 

 enough as yet to be admitted into a list of available forest trees. 



LARix, Tournefort. — Larch. 



A genus of deciduous cone-bearing trees, closely allied to the 

 Firs {Abies), but distinguished by smaller cones, with persistent 

 scales and bracts ; usually erect, on slender, rather di'ooping 

 branches. Sterile flowers, nearly as in the Pine, but pollen 

 grains solitary and round. Fertile catkins lateral and scatter- 

 ing, bright crimson when in bloom. Leaves slender, soft, de- 

 ciduous, mostly in clusters or bundles at the ends of the shoi-t, 

 undeveloped branches. Only about a half dozen species, and 

 these confined to the Northern Hemisphere, but extending 

 entirely around the world, thi'ough Asia, Europe, and North 

 America. 



Larix Americana, IVIichx. — American Larch, Tamarack, Hack- 

 matack. — Leaves from one half to three-fourths of an inch long, 

 slender and thread-like, light bluish green. Cones about an 

 inch long, ovoid, scales few, slightly reflexed and rormded. 

 Seed small, with short, thiu wings. Branches slender and 

 drooping, and the tree while young has a very gi-aceful habit, but 

 as they grow older the lower branches die, and break off, and 

 the persistent cones adhere to those above, until the trees seem 

 to be loaded down with them, and they are quite conspicuous 

 and not very ornamental, during the winter months. A hand- 

 some ornamental tree while young, but soon becomes too taU, 

 slender and naked, as the lower branches soon cease to enlarge 

 or lengthen, A large tree in the cold northern woods and 

 swamps, sometimes reaching a hight of a hundred feet, with a 

 stem two feet in diameter. Always a slender tree, with light 

 colored, strong wood, which is moderately durable, and used in 

 ship building, posts and fencing. The quality of the wood de- 

 pends somewhat upon the soil or locality where grown, that 

 from British America, Labrador, and Newfoundland, is said to 

 be much superior to that grown within the United States. The 

 Larch is of little value on dry soils, and we have many far 

 more valuable trees for cultivating in moist ones. 



L. Lyallii, Parlat. — Lyall's Larch. — A smaller species than the 

 last, found a number of years ago in the Cascade Mountains of 

 Washington Territoiy, by Dr. Lyall, and described in the " Gar- 

 dener's Chronicle " by Professor Parlatore. A small tree, gi'owing 



