958 ARBORETUM ET FRUT1CETUM BRITANNICUM. 



* P. L. 5 austriaca. P. austriaca Hoss ; Laricio d'Autriche, ou de la 

 Hongrie, Delamarre. Scarcely differs from P. caramanica, which 

 grows both in Romania and in the Crimea. We are satisfied of this, 

 not only from living plants in British gardens, but from cones which 

 we have received from Vienna. 



Other Varieties. P. altissima and probably some other names are applied 

 to P. Laricio, or some of its varieties, but not in such a manner as to enable 

 us to state anything satisfactory respecting them. The only truly distinct 

 forms of this species, in our opinion, are, P. L. corsicana, P. L. carama- 

 nica (of which there is a handsome tree in the Horticultural Society's 

 Garden, under the name of P. romana), P. L. Pallasidna (of which there 

 are trees at White Knights and Boyton), and perhaps P. L. pyrenaica ; the 

 two last we have treated as species, for the sake of keeping them distinct. 

 The branches are disposed in whorls, of five or six in a whorl ; which are 

 distinguished from the branches of P. Pinaster, by being often twisted and 

 turned in a lateral direction at their extremities, especially in full-grown trees. 

 The leaves vary much in length, according to the age of the tree, and the soil 

 on which it grows. The shortest are generally 4 or 5 inches, and the longest 7 

 or 8 inches, long. The cones are commonly 

 in pairs, but sometimes three and some- 

 times four occur together : they point 

 horizontally and slightly downwards, and 

 sometimes they are slightly curved, so as 

 to be concave at the extremity of the side 

 next the ground. They are from 2 in. to 

 3 in., of more, in length; of a ruddy yellow 

 or tawny colour, or greenish. In France, 

 according to Thouin, P. Laricio grows 

 two thirds faster than the Scotch pine, 

 placed in a similar soil and situation. 

 Baudrillart says that the wood of P. 

 Laricio has neither the strength nor the 

 elasticity of that of P. sylvestris. Previ- 

 ously to the year 1788, the wood was only 

 used by the French government for the 

 beams, the flooring, and the side planks of 



ships ; but, in that year, the administration 17n P Larfcio> 



of the marine sent two engineers to examine 



the Forests of Lonca and Rospa in Corsica, in which abundance of trees were 

 found fit for masts. After this, entire vessels were built with it : only it was 

 found necessary to give greater thickness to the masts, in order to supply its 

 want of strength and elasticity. The thickness of the sap wood in P. Laricio 

 is greater than in most other species of pine ; but the heart wood is found to 

 be of very great duration. In Corsica, it is employed for all the purposes for 

 which it is used, when of 36 or 40 years' growth. It is easily worked, and 

 is used both by cabinetmakers and sculptors in wood ; the figures which orna- 

 ment the heads of vessels being generally made of it. In Britain, the tree 

 hitherto can only be considered as being one of ornament ; and, as such, it 

 deserves to be planted extensively for its very regular and handsome form, and 

 the intensely dark green of its abundant foliage. It also deserves planting on 

 a large scale as a useful tree, on account of the great rapidity of its growth. 

 In the low districts of Britain, it might probably be a good substitute for P. 

 sylvestris. 



i 4. P. (L.) AUSTRI'ACA Hoss. The Austrian, or black, Pine. 



Identification. Hciss Anleit., p. 6. ; Lawson's Manual, p. 338. 

 Synonymes. P. ni'gricans Hort . ; P. nigrescens Hort. ; schwarta Fohre, Ger. 



Engravings. Fig. 1772., showing the bud of a plant of two years' growth in the Horticultural So- 

 ciety's Garden ; xnAfig. 1773., a cone of the natural size, from a specimen recetred at Vienna. 



