The Pine Family 151 



is strong. In fact, the cedars, arbor-vitaes, cypresses and 

 ground cypresses form a distinct group among evergreen trees, 

 resembling each other to such an extent that the names in 

 popular usage have become hopelessly confused. The ancients 

 regarded the cypress as an emblem "of woe. The Greeks and 

 Romans placed its branches on the funeral pyres of their de- 

 parted friends, and the Turks still plant it in their cemeteries. 



The ground cypresses compose a small genus confined to the 

 coast regions of America and Asia. They are tall, graceful 

 trees, closely resembling the arbor-vitaes, and are generally 

 known as some kind of cedar. In Canada there is only a single 

 representative of these trees, and that confined to a small 

 area of the western coast. 



i. YELLOW CEDAR. Chamaecyparis nootkatensis. (Lambert) 



Spach. 



This tree so closely resembles the other cedars that it is 

 best distinguished by its general appearance. Owing to its 

 limited range it could only be confused with the big western 

 cedar, from which it may be readily dis- 

 tinguished by its size and the nature of 

 its wood. 



It is a tall, slender tree, sometimes 

 reaching one hundred feet in height, with 

 a trunk diameter of more than five feet, 

 but usually it is much smaller. The 

 leaves are a dull bluish-green, and dry up 

 when about two years old, the dead leaves 



generally remaining on the branches for 



' FIG. 22. \ ellow Cedar, 



another year. 



The wood is yellow, very close-grained, hard and brittle, 

 with a satin lustre and a very strong aroma. It is durable and 

 easy to work, and is extremely popular for interior finishing of 

 houses and boat building. 



