42 



The Pines 



are in dense spike-like clusters, oblong, 12 mm. long, their anthers yellow. The 

 pistillate flowers are in lateral clusters, short-stalked, their scales ovate, dark pur- 

 ple, narrowed into a slender, incurved tip, the bracts broad and conspicuous. 



The cpjnes mature in the autumn of the second 

 year, when they are short-stalked, reflexed, 

 oval, 7.5 to 12.5 cm. long, pointed at the apex, 

 very oblique at the base, deep bright brown and 

 shining, usually remaining closed and persist- 

 ent for many years. The scales are thin, 

 nearly flat, apex much thickened and rounded, 

 sHghtly ridged and terminated by a dark 4- 

 sided knob, armed with a short thickened in- 

 curved or straight spine; they are deep purple 

 on their unexposed surface. The seed is oval, 

 compressed, 6 mm. long, black and roughened ; 

 the wing thin, Hght brown and striped length- 

 .>vise, broadest above the middle, obHque, and 

 gradually tapering both ways, 2 cm. long and 

 8 mm. wide; cotyledons 5 to 7. 



The wood is soft, weak and brittle, close- 

 grained, hght brown with many distinct resi- 

 nous bands; its specific gravity is about 0.46. 

 It is sometimes sawed into lumber but finds its greatest utihty as fuel. 



This tree is more extensively planted for ornament in the West than any other 

 pine, also successfully used in the southeastern States and Mexico, Austraha, and 

 Europe. 



It is also called Spreading cone pine, Nearly smooth cone pine. Remarkable 

 cone pine. Small-coned Monterey pine, and Two-leaved Insular pine. 



Fig. 32. Monterey Pine. 



31. SPRUCE PINE Pinus glabra Walter 



A tree of our southeastern States, confined to the coastal plain from South 

 Carohna to middle Florida and Louisiana, occurring in river swamps and hum- 

 mocks, usually rare and local except in northwestern Florida where it is quite 

 common and reaches a maximum height of 40 meters, with a trunk diameter of 

 1.2 m. 



The branches are horizontal, their divisions usually at right angles. The bark 

 is about 1.5 cm. thick, shallowly fissured into irregular confluent ridges with close 

 light reddish scales, or often nearly smooth. The twigs are slender, smooth, some- 

 what zigzag, Hght reddish, or purphsh brown, soon becoming reddish brown, a 

 httle roughened by the bases of the bud-scales; branch-buds ovoid, 6 mm. long, 

 sharp-pointed, their scales brown and margined by whitish matted hairs. The 

 leaves are in short-sheathed fascicles of 2, dark green, slender, 4 to 8 cm. long, 



