36 POPULAR GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



the Baltic, for the sake of making acquaintance with a plant 

 which is often found here under very curious circumstances ; 

 this is Ledum paluatre, one of the Heath family, but not in 

 appearance at all like what we generally understand by a 

 Heath. This plant is frequently found entirely encased in 

 amber, which, as it oozes from the Pine-trees, is supposed 

 gradually to encrust these plants when growing near them, 

 and in this state they are found, leaves, flowers, and all in 

 a state of perfect preservation. The leaves are peculiar 

 from the manner in which they are uniformly rolled under 

 at the edges ; at the back they look like soft leather, of an 

 orange-red colour. 



Eor want of materials we must pass over the intervening 

 space, and begin our promised excursion in the forests of 

 Siberia, in that portion of them at least which has been 

 explored,"* where we shall find footsteps ready marked out 

 for us. 



The trees which compose these forests are different kinds 

 of Pines ; namely, the Cembran Pine (Pinus Cembra) ; the 

 Larch (P. Larix) ; and the Spruce Eir (Abies excelsa] . Plane- 

 trees (Platanus orientalis) ; the White Poplar (Populus 

 alba] ; another variety of Poplar, called Populus balsamica, 



* By Langsdorf, from whom Meyen takes his list of plants. 



