WELLINGTONIA. 415 



Wellingtonia gigantea, Lindley, the Mammoth Tree. 



Syn. Sequoia gigantea, Endlicher. 

 Wellingtonia, Seemann. 



Washingtonia gigantea, of the Americans. 

 Californica, Winslow. 



Americanus giganteus, Hovt. Amer. 



Taxodii, sp., Douglas. 



Taxodium Waghingtonianum, Winslow. 



Leaves needle-shaped, spirally alternate, spreading, per- 

 sistent, and of a light green colour on the young plants ; those 

 on the adult trees scale-formed, closely inlaid, rounded on the 

 back, and concave on the inner face ; those on the branchlets 

 much shorter, very close, and regularly imbricated ; those on 

 the larger branches longer, looser, decurrent at the base, and 

 tapering to an acute point, but sometimes rather obtuse. 

 Branches spread out horizontal, much divided, and furnished 

 with numerous laterals. Branchlets cylindrical, frequently 

 pendulous, and thickly covered with light-green glaucous 

 foliage, cone-bearing ones slightly thickened, and entirely 

 covered with scale-formed leaves closely imbricated, the upper 

 ones oval, and broadest at the base. Cones solitary on the 

 ends of the branchlets, two inches long, and more than one 

 inch in diameter, ovate, blunt-ended, and slightly tapering 

 towards both extremities. Scales in series, placed nearly at 

 right angles upon the axis of the cone, stipitate, thickened, and 

 enlarged from the point of insertion as far as the summit, which 

 is depressed and wrinkled on the external face, and furnished 

 with a small prickle in the centre of the little hollow. Seeds 

 from three to five under each scale, but mostly five. Seed- 

 leaves from three to six in number, but mostly in fours. 



This magnificent evergreen tree was first discovered by 

 Douglas in 1831, and on account of its extraordinary height 

 and dimensions, is called by the American settlers in California 

 the " Mammoth Tree ;" and, according to Mr. G. L. Trask, who 

 formerly exhibited a portion of the bark set up in the Crystal 



