GYMNOSPERMS (CONE BEARERS) 



TAXACEAE (YEW FAMILY) 



Shrubs or trees; not resin-bearing, evergreen. Leaves linear, 

 alternate, short-petioled, flat, blue-green, rather sharply pointed. 

 Cones or flower-bunches very small. Staminate cones of a few 

 scaly bracts. Fruit a fleshy ring almost covering the one hard seed, 

 becoming a red berry. W. C. (Gk. toxon = bow ; referring to the use 

 of the wood.) Taxus brevifolia (WESTERN YEW) 



PINACEAE (PINE FAMILY) 



Shrubs or trees ; resinous, mostly evergreen. Leaves either needles 

 or scales. Ovules and pollen sacs in separate cones. Staminate 

 cones consisting of 4 to many scales. Pistillate cones consisting either 

 of scales only, or of scales and bracts, usually dry and woody, sometimes 

 a bluish berry. Scales bearing i to several ovules (usually 2) on the 

 inner surface, woody or papery or fleshy. 



A. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, not sheathed when in 3*5, scalelike (except 



sometimes in Juniperus) ; cone scales 1 2 or fewer, decussate. 



B. Fruit, a bluish berry; leaves often awl-shaped, often scalelike, often both 

 forms on the same plant. JUNIPERUS (p. 30) 



BB. Fruit a dry woody cone; leaves all scalelike. 



C. Leaves 4 in a whorl; cone scales of 3 quite unlike pairs; seeds unequally 

 2-winged. U. C. A fine lumber tree. (Gk. leibo = to pour out, kedros = 

 the Cedar; probably on account of the strong cedar-like odor.) 



Libocedrus decurrens (INCENSE CEDAR) 



CC. Leaves opposite; cone scales alike or nearly so; seeds equally 2-winged. 

 D. Pistillate cones globose, their scales peltate; Staminate cones oblong, their 

 scales ovate and not peltate. CHAMAECYPARIS (p. 30) 



DD. Pistillate cones oblong, their scales not peltate; Staminate cones globose, 

 their scales peltate. W. C. E. Our best tree for shingles. (Gk. thuia = 

 the name of a similar tree.) Thuja plicata (GIANT CEDAR) 



AA. Leaves alternate or in bunches of 2 to many, sheathed at the base if in 2-5- 

 leaved bunches, linear, not scalelike (except sometimes in Sequoia) ; cone scales 

 more than 12. 



E. Leaves of 2 forms; one form lanceolate, flat, 6-13 mm. long; the other form 

 ovate or ovate-oblong, keeled, 5-7 mm. long; seeds 5-7 under each scale. U. 

 A fine lumber tree. (Honor of Sequoyah, the Indian name of George Guess, who 

 invented the Cherokee alphabet.) Sequoia sempervirens (REDWOOD) 



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