Capt. S. E. Cook on the Genus Pinus and Abies. 1G9 



palm and the cactus are found along with it ; and the Pinaster 

 inhabits the warm valleys of the Serrania de Ronda, at a low 

 elevation above the Mediterranean, in a cori'esponding situa- 

 tion to which, along the coast of Provence and in the Ligurian 

 Apennines east of Genoa, it is also met with. 



These species, which are next below the Laricio and P. 

 hispanica, produce, as follows from the localities assigned to 

 them, timber of inferior quality to the species inhabiting the 

 zone above them ; the Pinea I believe being rather the better 

 of the two. 



There now remains the halepensis, of which three varieties 

 are found along the shores and inlands of the Mediterranean, 

 nearly throughout its whole extent. The three varieties are 

 that with large red cones, w-hich is the common, and I think 

 only species in Spain, and is probably the more hardy ; the 

 second has small cones, and was found on the Riviere of 

 Genoa ; the third is the P. Brutia of Professor Tenore. 

 There is a tree in the Botanical Garden at Naples. The 

 northern habitat of this tree in Italy is Romagna and the 

 Vale of Terni, and in Spain the AlcaiTia, a high but genial di- 

 strict of New Castile, where I found it abundant ; below the 

 Pinaster and P. sylvestris. Its site is thus the lowest in the 

 Europaean series ; and whilst the palm of beauty must be ceded 

 to it beyond every other in form and colour, for oeconomic 

 purposes it is the most worthless of the tribe. A complete 

 confirmation of the relative hardiness of this species has been 

 afforded last winter. Near London and through the greater 

 part of the north of the kingdom the haIe2Jensis may be con- 

 sidered to be extinct. I have lost two varieties, w hilst the P. 

 hispanica and Laricio, which were growing by their side, 

 are wholly unscathed. 



These observations embrace the principal species of the 

 centre and west of Europe ; the P. Pumilio is omitted, as not 

 being a timber tree, though it is only precluded by its 

 scanty dimensions from being in the first rank, to which its 

 port, and hardiness appear to entitle it. 



Before we proceed to the Abies and Larix we must notice 

 two species which appear to be nearly alUed, the tatarica or 

 Pallasiana, and the austriaca. 



The locality of the former is the Crimea, and we can scarcely, 



