46 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



stomata. Staminate flowers oval, about ^ in. long, and each surrounded by an 

 involucre of four conspicuous pointed bracts; anthers terminating in a lacini- 

 ated crest; pistillate flowers subterminal, solitary or clustered, subglobose, -J in. 

 in length, nearly sessile and with obovate short-pointed scales. Fruit subglobose 

 cones, from l^-'^ in. broad, with scales rounded at apex, the exposed portion 

 bright lustrous chestnut brown, conspicuonsly keeled transversely arid with a 

 prominent truncated central knob furnished with a minute recurved tip. The 

 few central scales only bear fertilized seeds and these only develope, those at the 

 base remaining small with recurved bosses and forming a flattened base of the 

 cone; seeds about f in. long, ell iptical-obo void, somewhat flattened, dark reddish 

 brown somewhat mottled, with brittle shell and sweet edible kernel; the wings 

 scarcely in. in width and remaining attached to the scale; cotyledons usually 

 eight. 



The specific name, quadrifolia, Latin for four-leaved, alludes to the number of 

 leaves in a fascicle. It is called Parry Pine after the name of its discoverer, Dr. 

 C. C. Parry. 



A tree sometimes attaining the height of 30 or 40 ft. (12 m.) with 

 pyramidal top while young, but finally an irregular rounded top. The 

 trunk is short and seldom over 18 in. (0.50 m.) in diameter, clothed 

 in a grayish brown bark which is fissured into prominent longitudinal 

 ridges and exfoliates in small thin scales. 



HABITAT. The center of distribution of the Parry Pine is in lower 

 California, where it forms open forests on the arid slopes and mesas, 

 between three thousand five hundred and seven thousand feet altitude, 

 from near the United States boundary line southward to the foot hills 

 of Mt. San Pedro Martir. It has been found sparingly north of the 

 boundary line, in San Diego Co., California, not far from Campo, and 

 has also been reported from near Julian, and on the desert slopes of 

 the Santa Rosa mountains farther north, in Riverside county. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light , rather hard, brittle, of very 

 close grain, with numerous conspicuous resin passages, and of a light 

 yellow-brown color with thin lighter sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 

 0.5675; Percentage of Ash, 0.54; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 

 0.5644; Coefficient of Elasticity, 37783; Modulus of Rupture, 426; 

 Resistance to Longitudinal Pressure, 339; Resistance to Indentation, 

 195; Weight of a Cubic Foot in Pounds, 35. 3i. 



USES. The seeds of this species constitute an important article of 

 food with the Indians of lower California, who gather them in large 

 quantities and eat them both raw and roasted. 



The trunks are of too small dimensions to be of commercial im- 

 portance. 



