44 



The Pines 



a height of 30 meters, with a trunk diameter of i m.; usually, however, it is but 

 12 to 20 m. tall, and at its northern limit often a mere shrub. 



The trunk is straight, the branches long, slender, spreading, forming a sym- 

 metrical open tree, or, when crowded, often free of branches for one third its 

 length. The bark is thin, fissured into irregular confluent rounded ridges with 

 thick close scales of a dark brown or reddish color. Twigs rather slender and 

 flexible, yellowish green and smooth, becoming dark purplish brown and roughened 

 by the dark, persistent bases of the bud-scales. The leaves are in sheathed fasci- 

 cles of 2, dark green, about 3 cm. long, 1.5 mm. thick, stout and stiff, somewhat 

 curved, convex on the back and nearly flat on the inner surface, minutely toothed 

 and abruptly narrowed into a stout tip, marked by many lines of deep sto- 



mata and containing i or 2, sometimes more, 

 resin-ducts in the pulp, and 2 fibrovascular 

 bundles. They are rather loosely scattered along 

 the twigs and persist for two or three years. 

 The staminate flowers are in spike-Hke clusters, 

 oblong, about 10 mm. long; anthers yellow. 

 The pistillate flowers, usually in pairs or some- 

 times more in a cluster, are short-stalked, sub- 

 globose, their scales oval, narrowed into incurved 

 tips and dark purple. The cones are sessile, 

 upright, oblong-conic, much incurved, seldom 

 recun-ed, oblique at base, 3 to 5 cm. long, dark 

 yellow brown and shining, remain closed for 

 several years, and open very irregularly and per- 

 sist for ten to fifteen years. The scales are thin 

 and stiff, rounded, scarcely ridged, and termi- 

 nated by a dull, slightly raised knob provided with a raised point instead of a spine 

 or prickle; they are dull purple or red oi\ the unexposed portion. The seed is 

 obHquely triangular, flattened, with rounded sides, about 5 mm. long, roughish 

 and nearly black; the wing is pale and shining, about 10 mm. long and broadest 

 at the middle, oblique at the apex; cotyledons 4 or 5. 



The wood is soft, weak, close-grained, usually pale brown or light yellow, with 

 wide and distinct resin bands; its specific gravity is about 0.48. It is used for 

 fuel at the North, but seldom sawed into lumber, and in the Northwest is also 

 used for railroad ties and fencing. 



It is also known as Labrador pine. Jack pine, Scrub pine. Black pine, Black 

 Jack pine, Canada horn cone. Check pine. Sir Joseph Bank's pine, and erro- 

 neously as Juniper and Cypress. 



There is considerable superstition about this tree having evil effects both on 

 the soil and on persons coming in contact with it ; the tree grows rapidly and is well 

 adapted to lawn and park planting. 



Fig. 34. Gray Pine. 



