126 THE BOOK OF EVERGREENS. 



none more than ^ of a line wide." The same author also 

 states that the wood is white, tough, not very resinous; 

 and that a tree of two feet thickness, at " the above rate, 

 indicates an age of over 1,000 years; but the annual rings 

 of larger trees growing in favored situations are wider, 

 and, if a specimen sent by Dr. Parry is not mislabelled, 

 sometimes as wide as line, giving the largest trees a 

 probable age of from 500 to 800 years. 



" The branches are spreading, very often many of them 

 twisted, stunted, or dead ; the larger branches and the 

 stem itself frequently covered with young branches or 

 shoots, which seem to keep life in the old trunk. The 

 bark is thin and scaly, even in older trees not more than 

 3 or 4 lines thick, of a light grayish-brown color ; that of 

 younger branches, smooth, with many large vesicles con- 

 taining a clear fluid balsam, which remains between the 

 layers of the old bark." 



The leaves of this pine are, without doubt, more per- 

 sistent than those of any known species, as accurate ob- 

 servations have proven that they have remained on the 

 tree for a period of 1G years. 



32 t Pt Cembra, Linnaeus. Swiss STONE PINE. 



Leaves, 2 to 3 inches long, from a medium sized decidu- 

 ous sheath, triangular, slender, straight, crowded, glaucous, 

 dark green color. Cones, '3 inches long, ovate, erect, with 

 obtuse, slightly hooked scales. Seeds, very large, edible, 

 wedge-shaped, wingless, with hard shells. Cotyledons, 

 11 to 13. 



A handsome, hardy species, that was introduced into 

 cultivation about the year 1746, from the highest regions 

 of the Alps, between 4000 and 6000 feet elevation, and 

 forming quite large trees about 50 feet in height. From 

 the Tyrol to 3it. Cenis, in Austria, it is also frequently 

 met with forming vast forests of the darkest and most 

 sombre verdure. Pallas mentions this species as a lofty 



