50 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not known of this species save those com- 

 mon to the genus, and mentioned of other species. 



NOTE. The retention of the cones of this tree is worthy of special 

 notice. They attain maturity the second year, but remain on the tree 

 and closed for a long time, many until the thickening branches begin to 

 form new wood over them. Some are found further down towards the 

 trunk half enveloped by the new wood, and a few persist until entirely 

 grown over in the advancing development of the tree. The seeds of such 

 cones cannot then be liberated until after the decay of the tree and the 

 reason of nature's retaining these seeds so long after attaining maturity is 

 an interesting problem. 



123. PINUS GLABRA, WALT. 



LOWLAND SPRUCE PINE, WHITE PINE, CEDAR PINE. 



Ger., Glatte-Fichte ; Fr., Pin de Oedre; Sp., Pino liso. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Leaves in twos, rather slender, 4-5 in. long, with short 

 close sheath 1 in. or less in length, branchlets smooth and whitish. Fruit, ovid- 

 cylindrical cones (ovoid when expanded) about 2 in. in length, solitary or in pairs 

 (rarely in whorls of three), with scales thickened at the apex and armed with a very 

 weak prickle, inclining strongly forward toward the apex of the cone.* 



(The specific name glabra, is the Latin for smooth and is descriptive of the con- 

 spicuously smooth bark of branches and branchlets. ) 



This Pine attains the height, sometimes of 80 or 100 ft. (30 m.) and 

 a trunk 3 or 4 ft. (1 m.) in diameter, with smooth bark of branches, and 

 bark of trunk fissured into narrow firm ridges. The character of the 

 bark throughout quite closely resembles that of the White Pine 

 (P. Strobus) farther north, and in that differs from all of the other 

 southern Pines. 



HABITAT. A. rather rare and local tree, found near the coast from 

 South Carolina to middle Florida and westward along the Gulf coast 

 into Louisiana growing in the rich soil of low-lands. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light, soft, not strong, not durable in 

 contact with the soil, containing but little resin and easily worked ; of a 

 light pinkish-brown color and with abundant whiter sap-wood. Specific 

 Gravity, 0.3931 ; Percentage of Ash, 0.45 ; Relative Approximate Fuel 

 Value, 0.3913 ; Coefficient of Elasticity, 44750 ; Modulus of Rupture, 

 496 ; Resistance to Longitudinal Pressure, 288 ; Resistance to Indenta- 

 tion, 106 ; Weight of a Cubic Foot in Pounds, 24.50. 



* This character, the inclination of the prickle to the axis of the cone, or the inner surface of the 

 scale when the cone is expanded, I deem quite reliable in distinguishing: the cone of this species from 

 that of the P. mit it, which it otherwise closely resembles, and in which the prickle is more reflexed, 

 so as to point at right angles or nearly so from the axis of the cone. The character is best shown 

 in the young cones only partially developed and before the weak prickles have been broken. 



