52 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



strong, susceptible of a satiny polish, of a light, pinkish-brown color, 

 with lighter sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.4454; Percentage of 

 Ashy 0.44; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.4434; Coefficient of 

 Elasticity, 77524; Modulus of Rupture, 719; Resistance to Longi- 

 tudinal Pressure, 379 ; Resistance to Indentation, 104 ; Weight of 

 a Cubic Foot in Pounds, 27.76. 



USES. A useful timber for general construction purposes and 

 fencing, and the tree is of considerable value for ornamental purposes. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not recorded of this species. 



GENUS PSEUDOTSUGA, CARRIERS. 



Leaves flat, linear, sulcate above, ridged beneath, short-petiolate, somewhat 2- 

 ranked by a twist in the base, whitish stomatose beneath only, and when breaking 

 away from the glabrous branchlet leaving prominent transversely oval leaf scars. 

 Flowers from the axils of the last year's leaves, the staminate short, cylindric 

 oblong and surrounded with the conspicuous orbicular bud-scales, the anthers 

 short, obcordate, 2-celled and opening obliquely by a continuous slit, crest short 

 and tubercular; pollen-grains ovate-subglobose. Cones subterminal, cylindric- 

 oblong, maturing the first year, reflexed and pendent, with wide rounded thin 

 persistent scales, and between these broad-linear, 3-lobed ligulate, persistent bracts, 

 much exserted on young and vigorous trees, but less so on others; seeds without 

 resin-vesicles, and the wing finally breaking off; cotyledons, 6-12. 



An American genus with name derived from ifrevdoS, false, and Tsuga, Hem- 

 lock, alluding to its resemblance with that genus. 



172. PSEUDOTSUGA MACROCARPA, MATB. 

 BIG-CONE SPRUCE. 



Ger., Grossfruchtige Tonne; Fr., Sapin de cones grands; Sp., Abeto 



de conos grandes. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves to 1J in. long, from f to 1 line in width' 

 strongly keeled below; winter buds - in. long, considerably larger and more 

 acute than in the P. taxifolia. Flowers as described for the genus; staminate 

 aments nearly an inch long. Cones often produced in great abundance, large 

 and cylindrical-ovoid, 5-8 in. long and 2-3 in. thick (when open), scales large in 

 proportion, obicular, convex, with eroded margins, bracts exserted i to inch, 

 widest above (f in.), tipped with three acute teeth, the central one narrow and 

 considerably prolonged. (In young cones the exserted bracts almost hide the 

 scales from view.) Seeds large, 3 or 4 lines long, with elliptical wing about f 

 in. long. 



(Specific name, macrocarpa, is the Latin for large fruit.) 



A medium-sized tree, rarely over 100 ft. (30 m.) in height or with 

 trunk more than 3 or 4 ft. (1 m.) in diameter. Its top, with few 

 long branches, is usually not very symmetrical, but its lack of sym- 

 metry is fully compensated by its conspicuous pendent cones. Its 

 bark of trunk is thick, furrowed with prominent and quite firm ridges 

 so disposed as to suggest frequently a braided appearance. 



HABITAT. A tree quite local in distribution, being found only 



