74 FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



the Canadian Rockies and in the Great Lakes country, trees from 60 to 80 feet 

 high and from 20 to 24 inches in diameter were once common, but are now 

 much rarer, the largest trees being seldom over 50 feet high and 12 or 14 inches 

 thick. It has a single straight, slightly tapering trunk, and a narrow, sharply 

 conical crown of slender, horizontal branches, which, during the first 25 or 30 

 years, and in the usual dense stands, extend down to the ground. Later the 

 trunks are clear of branches for one-half or two-thirds of their length. The 

 thin, scaly bark is reddish brown, but outwardly more or less weathered to an 

 ashy brown. Twigs of a season's growth are smooth, and whitish at first, but 

 in winter, dull yellowish brown. Mature leaves (fig. 28), scattered singly on 

 vigorous leading shoots but elsewhere in clusters of about 12 to 20, are indis- 

 tinctly triangular in cross-section — convex on the top side, with a ridge beneath — 

 and about f inch to 1J inches long. In cross-section the leaf shows 2 minute 

 resin-ducts close to its outer edges. Cones (fig. 28) are matured in early 

 autumn of one season, are pale russet-brown, as are the minute winged seeds 

 (fig. 28, /), which escape slowly from the gradually opened cone-scales during 

 late autumn or early winter ; probably the upright position of the cone prevents 

 the rapid escape of the seeds usual from pendent cones. Seed leaves 5, sharp- 

 pointed, and about \ an inch long. Wood, pale yellowish brown; in larger 

 trees, with rather thin layer of whitish sapwood; fine-grained or moderately 

 coarse-grained, according as the trees are grown in dense or open stands ; 

 rather hard and heavy, and elastic, used commercially chiefly for poles and ties. 

 Longevity. — The largest trees are from 150 to 180 years old, while trunks 

 from 10 to 12 inches through are from 60 to 75 years old. Further records of 

 longevity are desirable. 



dueed here (fig. 28a), together with his description and notes. The .writer has not been 

 able to critically study the specimens upon which this species is based. In the absence 

 of previous evidence to the contrary, a form of L. laricina has been held to be the larch 

 commonly met with in Alaska. It is not at all unlikely, however, that the Alaskan tree 

 is distinct, but the exceedingly close relationship of this tree with L. laricina, as shown 

 by the form of the cone scales and bracts from specimens representing both species (figs. 

 28 and 28a) suggests that further study should be made of these trees, especially in the 

 field. 



Alaska Larch. Lariat alaskensis Wight, sp. nov. 



"A small tree, attaining a maximum height of about 9 m. and a diameter of 20 cm. ; 

 leaf-facicles at the ends of branches 3 to 5 mm. long ; leaves pale green, 5 to 20 mm. 

 long, about 5 mm. broad, rounded on the upper surface, slightly keeled on the lower ; 

 cones borne at the ends of lateral branchlets 3 to 5 mm. long, ovoid or short-oblong, 10 

 to 15 mm. long, 9 to 12 mm. broad ; cone scales slightly longer than broad, the larger 

 ones 8 to 10 mm. long, 7 to 9 mm. broad, rounded at the apex, abruptly contracted toward 

 the base ; bracts of the cone about one-third as long as the cone scales, ovate, acute ; 

 flowers not seen. 



"Distribution. — Upper Kuskowim River to the Yukon and Tanana rivers. 



" Type-specimen: No. 379,803, IT. S. Nat. Mus. ; collected August 6, 1902, at Tanana, 

 Alaska, by A. J. Collier (No. 117). 



" Larix alaskensis differs from L. laricina in its usually shorter leaves, but more par- 

 ticularly in its cones. The cone scales are longer in proportion to their breadth ; the 

 bracts of the cone scales are ovate and without a projecting mucronate point at the apex, 

 while L. laricina has bracts short-oblong to nearly orbicular in outline, and commonly 

 emarginate or lacerate on either side of a mucronate projection at the apex. From L. 

 dahurica, the most closely related Asiatic species, it differs in its usually shorter leaves, 

 in its smaller cones, with the cone scales less widely spreading in dried specimens, and in 

 its narrower cone bracts. 



" Between the Yukon and Cook Inlet. — Upper Kuskokwim, Herron, August, 1899 ; 

 Tanana Valley, east of Cantwell River, Brooks & Prindle, August 27, 1902 ; Kaltag, on 

 the Yukon, Collier, 1902 (No. 147) ; Tanana, Collier, 1902 (Nos. 117, 118) ; Weare, 

 Georgeson, 1900 (No. 6)." — Reprinted from Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections (Quar- 

 terly Issue), volume 50, 174, PI. xvii. Published July 10, 1907.) 



