220 TEEES IN WINTER 



SCOTCH PINE 



Scotch "Fir." 

 Piniis Sylvestris L. 



HABIT — A tree up to 70 feet or occasionally 120 ft. in height; as 

 cultivated in this country in the open, often a low branching tree with 

 more or less pendant limbs and inclined trunk presenting a rather 

 straggling or unkempt appearance; frequently of more erect habit, espe- 

 cially in company with other trees. 



BARK — Grayish-brown, scaly, upper part of trunk and branches 

 characteristically smoothish in appearance by flaking off of the outer 

 bark in thin papery light-reddish layered scales. 



TWIGS — Of medium thickness, dull grayish-yellow, not downy, rough- 

 ened by scales subtending leaf clusters. 



LEAVES — In clusters of 2, persistent, sheaths becoming lacerated, 

 dull bluish-green I'Vz-'^'Vz inches long, stiff, generally twisted, flat or 

 concave on one side, rounded on the other, pointed. MICROSCOPIC 

 SECTION — showing 2 fibro-vascular bundles, peripheral resin-ducts, 

 strengthening cells around resin-ducts, at one side of the bundles and 

 benath the epidermis, stomata all around. 



BUDS — Oblong-conical, brown, often somewhat resinous-coated. 



FRUIT — Cones li^-2i/^ inches long, short-stalked, grayish or reddish 

 brown, conic-oblong, generally appearing with the whorls of lateral 

 branches, usually pointing backward. SCALES — in young cones with a 

 short projection which when mature may persist as a short weak incon- 

 spicuous point or is deciduous, apex of scale thickened with a more or 

 less prominent four-sided boss often recurved especially toward base 

 of cone. 



COMPARISONS — The Scotch Pine often improperly called Scotch "Fir" 

 may be distinguished from the other Pines native or cultivated in New 

 England by the bald reddish appearance of the upper part of trunk 

 and branches, the short bluish-green leaves and the backward-pointing 

 cones. 



DISTRIBUTION — A European tree cultivated abroad in extensive for- 

 ests for its timber. In this country more or less planted as an orna- 

 mental tree, and sparingly escaped from cultivation. In Connecticut 

 rare or local as an escape; New London, Lyme, Southington, Bridgeport. 



WOOD — Light, soft, reddish-brown, with thick light yellowish or red- 

 dish sapwood, easily split and durable, corresponding in importance 

 abroad to the White Pine in this country. 



