THE STONE PINE 189 



resinous excretion. The needles are of a dark 

 green, but brighter than those of P. Pinaster, 

 semicircular in section, with finely serrulate edges 

 and sub-acute points, but soft to the touch. They 

 remain on for two or three years. Internally they 

 exhibit a row of resin-canals all round the leaf 

 at some depth below its surface, each surrounded 

 by a layer of hard tissue or " sclerenchyma." 

 The stomata occur on both the flat and the con- 

 vex surfaces, and are deeply sunk in the epidermal 

 tissue. The scale-leaf or " basal-sheath " is whitish 

 and half an inch long the first year, but is reduced 

 to half its length, much lacerated, and darkened 

 in colour during the second year. The dwarf 

 shoots, or leaf-spurs, are so arranged as to form 

 a triple spiral series round the branch that bears 

 them. 



The catkins of staminate flowers are yellowish, 

 and are grouped in bunches near the apex of 

 slender shoots of the current year, surmounted 

 by some slightly developed leaves. Each catkin 

 is about half an inch long, cylindrical, and very 

 short -stalked, having a number of scale-like 

 bracts at its base. Each stamen has a prominent 

 " connective " or " crest " projecting between its 

 anther-lobes, which in this species is rounded 

 and toothed. The female catkins are placed, two 

 or three together, at the extremity of the 

 strongest shoots ; they are oval and about half 

 an inch long, are short - stalked, and enveloped 

 in reddish membranous scales. The cone-scales 

 themselves are at first whitish-green ; but they 



