PLANTS OP BERMUDA, 99 



Class III. — Gymnospebma. 



Trees with stems usually" resembling the Dicotyledons; leaves 

 rigid, needle -shaped, or scaly ; flowers, destitute of calyx and co- 

 rolla, consisting only of scales, on the face of which the unenclosed 

 ovules are seated. 



mu: Ord: 11. Conifcree. 



Trees with resinous juice, bearing fleshy or woody cones. 



I. JUNIPEKUS. 



Evergreen trees with rigid, scalc-lilce leaves; male and female flowers 

 on separate trees ; male catkin cylindrical, terminal, the anthers attached 

 to the edge of the scales ; female catkin ovoid, scales becoming fleshy and 

 forming a three-seeded berry. 



1. /. Bermudiensis (Bernmda Cedar). A large evergreen tree; 

 leaves very small, scale-like, densely imbricated in four rows, chan- 

 nelled on the back with a shallow furrow, ovate, aiDpressed. persis- 

 tent, becoming elongated, brown, and sharply pointed on the older 

 branchlets ; male catkin oblong, cylindrical, half-inch long ; berry 

 purplish, size of a pea. Distribution, Bahamas and Jamaica, as /. 

 Barbadensis. 



The Cedar, — or, more correctly speaking, the Juniper, — is pecu- 

 liarly the native tree of Bermuda, so prevalent as to become almost 

 wearisome in its sombre monotony. The earliest discoverers men- 

 tion the Islands as being covered with it, and there is evidence that 

 for long years previous, and before subsidence lessened the area of 

 the Bermudas, the same form of vegetation prevailed. The sub- 

 merged trunks of former forests are met with even amongst the 

 outer reefs, and may be observed in many of the shallower bays. 

 Dredging operations at Ireland Island frequently bring to the sur- 

 face the remains of cedar trees in various stages of decay, and em- 

 bedded in peaty deposits. 



The wood, which is very durable and fragrant, but rather brittle, 

 is much valued for building the native boats, which are popularly 

 supposed to remain sound in the water for over one hundred years. 

 Formerly, before the days of steam, these Islands possessed quite 

 a fleet of sailing vessels built of this wood, but latterly they have 

 dwindled down to insignificance, the barque " Sir G. F. Seymour," 

 which plies regularly between Bermuda and London, being the 

 most important survivor. 



The trees vary much in size according to soil and situation, some- 

 times crowning a solitary barren rock, at a distance from the shore, 

 where the soil appears insufficient for the most scanty vegetation. 

 Probably in former years, before the richer lands were cleared for 

 planting purposes, the Cedar grew to a much greater height and 

 girth than at present. The largest with which I am acquainted is 

 growing near the seaside at Daniel's Head, Somerset, and measures 



