CONrFERTE. 805 



8. P. cembra, L. (Swiss riiie. Stone Pine.) 'F>iink 50 to 80 feet iu 

 heiglit, brauchiug iu wliorls, hniuches seiui-uprighi. Hark smooth aud dark. 

 Leaves in fives, 2 to 3 iuches loug, triangular, slender, straight, crowded, 

 dark-green, sheaths falling. Cones egg-shaped, 3 inches long ; scales blunt, 

 hooked ; seeds large, wedge-shaped, shells hard ; cotyledons about 13 ; .seeds 

 edible. 



There are two varieties to be found in planted grounds. 



Var. Siberica, Loudon. Leaves shorter, lighter green, and longer cones ; 

 said to be indigenous to eastern Siberia. 



Var. pygmaea, Fischer. Dwarf, 2 to 4 feet in height. Leaves short ; coues 

 globular. Found iu dry, sterile grounds and rocky hills. 



Geography. — The pinus cembra may be found in a range of territory 

 extending from the mountains of Switzerland, through Austria, northeastward 

 to Siberia. It adai)ts itself to almost any soil or climate. 



Etymolofji/. — The specific name of this tree signifies " pine ; " so that /nrius 

 cembra may be translated " piue pine." The common name, stone pine, is due 

 to the hard shell of the seed. 



Histon/. — The stone piue was introduced into planted grounds about the 

 middle of the eighteenth century, and was brought from elevations in the 

 Alps, ranging from four thousand to six thousand feet. 



Use. — The Swiss stone pine is a favorite evergreen with amateurs, on 

 account of its symmetry of growth, its compact branches, and its deep green 

 foliage. Its slow growth adapts it to the wants of those who have small 

 grounds. It bears the knife well, and can be kept back, and almost dwarfed. 

 The wood is .soft, has a fine grain, takes a good polish, aud is a favorite 

 wood for joiners, turners, and carvers. Large quantities are used iu Switzer- 

 land in the manufacture of toys. It also furnishes a fragrant resin. The 

 seeds are eaten iu Siberia. 



9. P. palustris, L. (Southern Pine. Green Pine. Long-leaved Pine. Broom 

 Pine. Yellow Pine. Pitch Pine. Georgia Pine. Red Pine. Fat Wood.) 

 Trunk 60 to 80 feet high, and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. Bark furrowed. Leaves 

 in threes, sometimes reaching the length of 4-8 inches, dark-green, crowded 

 at the euds of the branches-, sheaths long, lanceolate, light-colored; cones 

 cylindrical, tapering at each end, 10 iuches long; seeils in a thin white 

 covering or testa. 



Var. excelsa, Loudon. Whole tree larger. Found in the north of Euro))e ; 

 said also to have been seen on the northern Pacific coast. 



Geography. — This pine has a narrow geographical limit, which extends 

 from southeastern Virginia south to middle Florida, thence along the (iulf 

 coast to Louisiana and Texas, iu a strip less thau 200 miles wide. 



Eti/mology. — The name /)a/?<s/r/.s, the Latin for " swampy," does not seem 

 very ap])ropriate, as this ti-ee does not grow in swamps. The number of 

 popular or common names applied to this species is very unusual, due no doubt 

 to the great value of its products 



Use. — The pinus palustris is one of the most important of all our timber 

 trees ; no other yields so many valuable products. The wt)od is hard, takes a 

 fine polish, aud is very heavy, weighing 4:>.r)2 j)ounds to the cubic foot, and 

 is highly valuable for building purpo.ses, furnishing tinjber for the frame of 

 a building, boards for the covering, beams ami planks for the Ho<»r.>-. aud 

 material for the joiner's work. It is also excellent fuel. 

 Pk. Fl — 21 



