2160 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III. 



when they burst, is sometimes dispersed in such immense quantities as to fill 

 the air, and give rise, as we have already observed (p. 2109.), to the idea of a 

 shower of sulphur. The female flowers, or embryo cones, appear on the 

 summits of the shoots of the current year, generally 2 on the point of a shoot, 

 but sometimes 4, 5, or 6. The colour of these embryo cones is generally 

 purple and green; but they are sometimes yellowish and sometimes red. 

 'After impregnation, the young fruit becomes lateral, stalked, and reflexed ; 

 green, and of a more ovate figure. The first year, it ceases to grow about the 

 middle of July, when it has attained the size of a good bean ; and in the 

 second year it begins to grow in the month of April, attains its full size by 

 the end of June, and ripens into an ovate, pointed, hard, tessellated, but un- 

 armed, woody cone, about the middle of October. If left on the tree, it is 

 not till the following March or April that the scales open, and allow the seeds 

 to drop out. It thus requires 18 months to mature the cones; and in a state 

 of nature it is two years before the seeds are in a condition to germinate. 

 After the seeds have dropped out, the cones generally remain on a year, or 

 at least till the following winter; so that full-grown trees generally exhibit 

 cones in three or four different states ; viz. young cones in their first stage ; 

 cones of full size, but green; cones brown and opening; and cones with their 

 scales fully expanded, after the seeds have dropped. The cone, which is 

 stalked, and when mature begins to open at the narrow extremity, as shown in 

 fig. 2048., is, while closed, perfectly conical, rounded at f\\' \ ,-. 204 8 



the base, from 1 in. to 2 in. in length, and about an 

 inch across in the broadest part; as it ripens, the co- 

 lour changes from green to a reddish brown. The 

 scales are oblong, swelled on the back part of their 

 upper extremity into a sort of pyramid, which appears 

 pressed down upon itself, and is truncate at the sum- 

 mit. The form of this swelled part of the scales is 

 very variable. Sometimes it does not project at all, 

 and the surface of the cone is quite smooth; and, 

 in general, it projects much less on the side of the 

 cones which is next the branches, than on that which 

 is exposed to the air. Sometimes the pyramid in 

 which the scale terminates is raised so as to form 

 a protuberance of more than two lines in height. 

 Sometimes the summit of the pyramid is sunk ; and 

 sometimes it is pointed, and turned to one side; 

 while at others, as in P. (s,) p. Mughus, it is 

 turned downwards towards the base of the cone, and terminates in a 

 prickle. This variation in the form of the scales of the cone of P. sylvestris 

 has given rise to different varieties ; though hooked cones and smooth cones 

 may frequently be found on trees having very different habits, such as P. 

 (s.) p. Mughus and P. s. uncinata. At the base of each scale, on the 

 inner side, close to the axis of the cone, are lodged 2 oval winged seeds, some- 

 what flattened. Each seed is a little monospermous nut, to which, as in all 

 the other ^bietinae, the wing is not attached, otherwise than by enclosing it 

 with its membranaceous texture. Hence, the wings of the seeds of this pine, 

 like those of every other species of ./ibietinae, may be separated from them 

 without doing them the slightest injury. Sometimes the cones are sterile ; but 

 in this case the winged membrane is as fully developed as if it were fertile, which 

 clearly proves that it does not form a part of the seed. In germination, the 

 first appearance of the seed exhibits 5 or 6 linear leaves escaping from their en- 

 velope, as shown in fig. 2045. a ; and in a few days afterwards, when the 

 envelope has dropped, they assume the appearance of b. It is remarkable, 

 that this species, which has the leaves of trees of 3ft. or 4ft. in height 

 glaucous when young, has the seminal leaves, and the leaves of young plants 

 in the first or second year, and sometimes even for 3 or 4 years, not glaucous ; 

 whereas in P. Pinaster, P. Pfnea, and some others, the leaves of which, in 



