FOUR SUB-ALPINE PINES 



The widest distributed of the Sub-Alpine 

 Pines is the Murray Pine (P. Murrayana) , 

 often called Tamarack Pine from its resem- 

 blance to the Larch or Tamarack of the east. 

 It is one of the Thimble-cone group, with 

 tiny cones and short leaves in pairs, like the 

 North Shore Pine described, with which some 

 botanists classify it. The bark (from a little 

 distance above the base) is exceedingly thin, 

 flaking off in small scales, leaving but an 

 eighth inch of hard bark remaining. In north- 

 ern regions, where it is called Lodge-pole 

 Pine, it is usually found tolerating the pres- 

 ence of sister trees, so forming dense groves 

 of tall, slender, white stems, suggesting 

 bamboo. Southward in California they oc- 

 cupy almost exclusively the high plateaus. 

 Beautiful groves enliven the scenery of such 

 glacier lakes as Tahoe, Donner, Independence, 

 and Webber, and similar valleys elsewhere 

 emptied of their lakes. The broad, glaciated 

 plateau eastward of Yosemite, upon which 

 arise the Sierra peaks, is mostly covered with 

 this singular pine, interspersed with little 

 sun-filled intervales, where the unaffrighted 

 deer may be seen nibbling the lush autumn 

 grasses and the chattering red squirrel thinks 

 it no intrusion to share the comforts of your 

 camp likewise its provisions. 



Most trees are greatly modified by environ- 

 ment ; those growing in the open often branch 

 freely and retaining all the ^imbs, this be- 

 havior being very different from trees of the 

 same species in a dense forest. 



A tree of the Murray Pine rioting alone 

 in the moraine soil above Webber Lake was 

 felled to obtain a log specimen for exhibition 

 at the Centennial Fair. It proved to be 300 

 years old, 123 feet high, 7 feet in diameter, 



(40) 



