490 CONIFERS. (pine FAMILY.) 



Suborder II. Tax^cese. (Yew Family.) Flowers dioecious, 

 axillary and solitary, the fertile consisting of a naked erect ovule which 

 becomes a bony-coated seed more or less surrounded or enclosed by 

 the enlarged fleshy disk (or scale). 

 10. Taxus. Leaves linear, scattered. Seed surrounded by a red berrj'-like cup. 



1. PINUS, Tourn. Pine. 



Sterile flower at the base of the shoot of the same spring, involucrate by a 

 nearly definite number of scales, consisting of numerous stamens spirally in- 

 serted on the axis, with very short filaments and a scale-like connective; 

 anther-cells 2, opening lengthwise. Pollen of 3 united cells, the 2 lateral 

 ones empty. Fertile catkius solitary or aggregated immediately below the 

 terminal bud, or lateral on the young shoot, consisting of imbricated carpel- 

 lary scales, each in the axil of a persistent bract, bearing a pair of inverted 

 ovules at the base. Fruit a cone formed of the imbricated woody carpellary 

 scales, which are thickened at the apex (except in White Pines), persistent, 

 spreading when ripe and dry ; the 2 nut-like seeds partly sunk in excavations 

 at tlie base of the scale ; in separating carrying away a part of its lining as a 

 thin fragile wing. Cotyledons 3-12, linear. — Primary leaves thin and chaff- 

 like, merely bud-scales; from their axils immediately proceed the secondary 

 needle-shaped evergreen leaves, in fascicles of 2 to 5, from slender buds^ some 

 thin scarious bud-scales sheathing the base of the cluster. Leaves when in 

 pairs semicyhndrical, becoming channelled; when more than 2 triangular; 

 their edges in our species serrulate. Blossoms developed in spring ; the cones 

 maturing in the second autumn. (The classical Latin name.) 

 § 1. Leaves ^,each with a simjle Jibro-vasciilar bundle; sheath loose, deciduous ; 

 cones suhfenninal, their scales but slightly thickened at the end and without 

 prickle or point ; bark smooth except on old trunks. 



1. P. Strobus, L. (White Pine.) Tree 75-160° high; leaves very 

 slender, glaucous; sterile flowers oval (4-5" long), with 6-8 involucral scales 

 at base ; fertile catkins long-stalked, cylindrical ; cones narrow, cylindrical, 

 nodding, often curved (4-6' long); seed smooth, cotyledons 8-10. — Newf. 

 to Penn., along the mountains to Ga., west to Minn, and E. Iowa. Invaluable 

 for its soft, light, white or yellowish wood, in large trees nearly free from resin. 

 § 2. Leaves in twos or threes, each with tico Jibro-vascular bundles ; sheath close ; 



woody scales oj the cones thickened at the end and usually spiny -tipped. 



* Cones lateral; their scales much thickened at the end ; leaves rigid. 



•f- Leaves in threes {rarely in twos in n. 2). 



2. P. Taeda, L. (Loblolly or Old-field Pine.) Leaves long (6 - 10) 

 with elongated sheaths, light green ; cones elongated-oblong (3 - 5' long) and 

 tapering; scales tipped with a stout incurved spine. — Wet clay or dry sandy 

 soil, Del. to Fla. near the coast, thence to Tex. and Ark. — A tree 50-150° 

 high ; staminate flowers slender, 2' long, with usually 10-13 involucral scales ; 

 seeds with 3 strong rough ridges on the under side. 



3. P. rigida, Mill. (Pitch Pine.) Zeai.-e5 (3-5' long) dark green, //om 

 short sheaths; cones ovoid-conical or ovate (1-3^' long), often in clusters; 

 scales with a short stout recurved prickle. — Sandy or barren soil, N. Brunswick 



