72 Wyoming Experiment Station. 



Pine Family. 



{Pinacece.} 



" The pine is the mother of legends." Lowell. 



This family of plants includes much the larger part of 

 the forest trees of Wyoming. Those belonging in other 

 families are either small and scattering or form merely 

 fringes on the stream banks scarcely, if ever, a solid 

 body of timber. The Pine Family, though far from being 

 confined to mountainous countries and cold climates, is 

 peculiarly characteristic of such regions. The greatest 

 development and largest number of species occur, how- 

 ever, where a moderately cool temperature is combined 

 with an abundance of moisture, as is the case on some 

 portions of the Pacific coast. Of the sixty species which 

 become trees, credited to Northwest America, only eight 

 are positively known to the writer as occurring within our 

 bounds. 



This family has for a long time been known as the 

 Cone-Bearers (Coniferce), since the fruit of most of its 

 members is somewhat cone-shaped. 



The cone consists of a number [of spirally arranged 

 scales on which the naked seeds are borne. All the trees 

 of this group are more or less resinous and are all ever- 

 green,. The four following genera, with the species under 

 each, constitute the tree-like representatives of this fam- 

 ily in this state. 



