YOUNG CONIFERS 163 



drooping, and very open crown are characteristic. Old 

 trees form a black and white very rugged fissured and 

 stony hard bark at the base. Crown often ovoid-pointed. 

 Suckers are developed. 



(/3) Grown not more than twice as high as 

 broad, or thereabouts, and usually on a 

 definite length of bare stem. General 

 form of crown more or less pyramidal, 

 oblong or spheroidal. 



* Crown pointed above, more or less spreading [For (**) 

 below. General shape pyramidal-pointed, seep * 

 base broadly rounded or somewhat narrow. 

 t Evergreens more or less densely clothed 

 with foliage (see pp. 136 55). 



The pointed pyramidal or conical form with tapering 

 apex is the typical one for young Firs, Pines and other 

 Conifers. Hence the student will often find species of 

 Abies, Picea, Pseudotsuga, Larix, Cedrus, and Pinus, under 

 30 feet high, retaining this shape though they lose it later. 



As they lose the lower branches and expose a greater 

 length of bare stem, the characteristics of the bark begin 

 to be visible, and a modification of the long cylindroid- 

 conic form, clothed with foliage from base to apex, is 

 obtained, viz. more or less definitely pyramidal crown on 

 a shorter or longer stern. This may pass later into various 

 other shapes (see pp. 67 9. Consult pp. 74 8). Ilex 

 Aquifolium, with pyramidal crown, also comes here. 



ft Deciduous trees especially in the sapling 

 stage, more or less open in the crown, and 

 lightly clothed with foliage in summer, best 

 distinguished by buds and leaves (see pp. 

 7990). 



Under the head of pointed-pyramidal forms may be 

 placed a number of saplings and young stages of trees, 



112 



