Saxegothsea 



H59 



leading shoots, but thrown into a pectinate arrangement on lateral branches ; linear, 

 straight or curved, ^ to f in. long, narrowed into a petiolate base, decurrent on the 

 branchlet, tapering at the apex, which ends in a sharp cartilaginous point ; upper 

 surface dark green with a raised narrow midrib ; lower surface with a narrow green 

 midrib, on each side of which is a broad stomatic band, composed of about twelve 

 close lines of dots, and wider than the green margins. 



Flowers monoecious. Staminate flowers cylindric, solitary or two or three in 

 the axils of the leaves near the end of the branchlet, shortly stalked, subtended 

 by four to six scales ; composed of numerous spirally arranged anthers, each with 

 two cells, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovuliferous flowers solitary on the ends of 

 the branchlets, on short peduncles bearing a few modified leaves ; succeeded by 

 numerous, spirally arranged, densely imbricated, triangular-ovate, pointed carpellary 

 scales, the lower sterile, the upper fertile, each with a depression on the upper 

 surface near the base, in which is borne an inverted ovule. Fruiting head, ripening 

 in the first year, irregularly globose, to \ in. in diameter, with fleshy scales coalescent 

 at the base and free at the apex, containing six to twelve ripened seeds, which are 

 set free by the separating of the fertile scales. Seed, about \ in. in width and length, 

 smooth, shining brown, ovoid, compressed from back to front, with two sharp 

 lateral edges ; base broad, marked by the rough surface of the hilum. Cotyledons 

 two. 



This species is a native of Chile and western Patagonia, 1 where it grows in 

 the lower regions of the mountains in the dense forests, composed mainly of 

 evergreen bush and conifers, like Fitzroya patagonica, Libocedrus tetragona, Podo- 

 carpus chilina, and Podocarpus nubigena. Castillo and Dey say that these two 

 species of Podocarpus and Saxegothaea are known in Chile as mauiu, and yield a 

 fine homogeneous wood, yellow in tint, and admirably suited for joiner's work. 2 



Saxegothcea conspicua was discovered 3 by W. Lobb in southern Chile in 1846, 

 and introduced in 1847. '* does not appear to have succeeded in our climate, and 

 is now very rare. At Kew, it is perfectly hardy, but grows slowly, and has a 

 stunted appearance. 



There are two specimens at Strete Ralegh, near Exeter, the seat of Mr. Imbert 

 Terry, both probably original introductions, and about 30 ft. high in 1909, when the 

 larger was 4 ft. 3 in. in girth at two feet from the ground. 4 



There is a fine specimen at Coldrenick, about 35 ft. high, with a short bole, 

 only a foot long, dividing into about nine stems, 4 to 6 in. in diameter, with wide- 

 spreading branches, which I saw in 191 1. Both this tree, and those at Strete 



1 Dusen, in Scott, Princttown Univ. Exped. Patagonia, viii. 20 (1903), says it grows in the forests of the middle and 

 lower Aysen valley in Patagonia. Reiche, Verbreit. Chikn. Conif. 5 (1900), gives the Aysen valley, lat. 45 10', as its 

 known southerly limit, while it extends northwards to the Rio Maule in lat. 35 20'. It occurs on Chiloe, but not in the 

 Guaytecas and Chonos islands. 



2 Capt. Fitzroy, Narrative of Voyages of the Beagle, i. 280 (1839), says : "Maftu, a tree of great dimensions, tall and 

 straight, the leaf is like that of a yew : it is a very useful wood for shipbuilding, for planks, and next to alerce, is the best for 

 spars that the island of Chiloe produces ; but the large trees have a great tendency to become rotten at the heart owing possibly 

 to the humidity of the climate, and to the very wet soil. Of twenty trees that were cut down, not one was sound at the heart. 

 The wood is heavy, with large knots, which penetrate into the trunk to a great depth. A great deal of this timber grows in 

 the Gulf of PeHas." It is doubtful what species is here referred to ; but Saxegothaea does not now occur so far south as the 

 Gulf of Penas. 3 Horlus Veitchii, 38, 345 (1906). 4 Cf. Dallimore, in Kew Bull. 1909, p. 336. 



