BOTANY. 95 



age a peculiarly tufted appeai'ance. The color of the leaves is 

 a dark yellowish-green. The bark is of a light yellowish-brown 

 or cork color, and is divided into large, smooth plates from 

 four to eight inches wide and from twelve to twenty inches 

 long, whereby the tree may be recognized at a distance. The 

 tree is found near the snow-line in the Sierra Xevada, and 

 east of the summit, and northward to Washington Territory. 



The nut-pine {Pinus siihiniana) is remarkable as a conifer 

 for its spreading top, and for its large cones full of edible 

 seeds. It branches out somewhat after the manner of a ma- 

 ple ; rarely more than sixty feet high, though often with a 

 trunk four feet through — a thickness of trunk that with most 

 other conifers would give more than double the height. 

 About half way from the ground to the top, the trunk divides 

 into a number of branches, which grow upward. The nut- 

 pine is found in the lower part of the Sierra Nevada, and in 

 the coast mountains near the head of the Sacramento valley. 

 The seeds are larger than the common white bean, and are 

 very palatable, with a slight terebinthine taste. The leaves 

 are from four to ten inches long, and grow in threes. The 

 foHage of the tree when seen from a distance, resembles that 

 of the willow, both in color and distribution. In places where 

 the nut-pine is found, the woodpeckers select them as store- 

 houses for their winter food, cutting holes in their bark and 

 putting an acorn in each. The Indians formerly relied upon 

 the nuts for a considerable portion of their food. They climbed 

 the tree by catching hold of the rough, strong bark with their 

 hands, then putting their feet against the tree, without touch- 

 ing it with their body or knees, they walked up till they reached 

 the limbs. 



The twisted pine {Pinus contorta) is found in the northern 

 part of the state. The leaves are yellowish green in color, 

 about two inches long; and they grow in pairs. The tree 

 does not exceed sixty feet in height. 



Coulter's pine [Pinus coulterii) grows in the Santa Lucia 

 mountains. It reaches a height of one hundred feet, and has 



