58 Illustrations of Conifers. 



ATHROTAXIS LAXIFOLIA (W. J. Hooker). 



Icon. PI. t. 578 (1818). 



Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. IX. Series 8, p. 144 (1891) with fig. 



Vol. IV. p. 644 (1888) 

 Yeitch't Man. Conif. ed. 2, p. 261 (1900). 

 Baker and Smith, Pints of Australia, p. 818 (1910). 

 Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. VI. p. 1461 (1912). 



A tree attaining in Tasmania 25 to 40 feet in height, with a slender 

 trunk covered with a reddish-brown bark, which peels off in longi- 

 tudinal shreds. Leaves spirally arranged, closely imbricated, slightly 

 spreading, about \ inch long, obtuse or acute at the incurved apex; 

 outer surface keeled and with two lateral stomatic depressions near 

 the base ; inner surface concave and with two longitudinal white 

 stomatic bands ; margin entire, translucent. 



Staminate flowers like those of A. selaginoides. Cones terminal, 

 about | inch in diameter, spherical in shape ; scales 15 to 20 with 

 a slender cuneate claw, and a thickened oval extended lamina, bear- 

 ing on the back a large ovate acute process. 



Athrotaxis laxifolia occurs on the summits of the Western 

 Mountains of Tasmania at about 4,000 feet elevation. It was 

 introduced by the late Mr. W. Archer, of Cheshunt, about the year 

 1857, and is cultivated as far north as Durris in Kincardineshire, 

 where it has produced good seed, from which seedlings were raised 

 which are now growing at Bayfordbury. 



The illustration represents a specimen from Tremough, Corn- 

 wall. 



