FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 175 



ern red cedar, Sitka spruce, grand fir, western hemlock, and Douglas fir. With Bame 

 species, but less abundant, in northwest California (swampy places near sea) and some- 

 times with redwood and California laurel. Near coast, often gives way to Sitka spruce 

 and grand fir, growing on higher sites with Douglas fir and western hemlock. Occa- 

 sionally in sugar and western yellow pine forests on rather dry, sunny slopes. 



Climatic Conditions. — Climate characterized by moderate temperatures, heavy pre- 

 cipitation with slight snowfall, high humidity, and many cloudy days. Temperature on 

 coast between 10° and 95° F., and precipitation between 30 and 100 inches, with an aver- 

 age of about 5G inches; higher altitudes have greater seasonal and daily ranges of tem- 

 perature and proportionately larger snowfall. However, the generally low range keeps 

 this tree within modifying influence of the sea. Successfully cultivated in Europe and in 

 northeastern United States under more severe climatic conditions than those of its native 

 range. I?ut it is sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, and suffers 

 from prolonged drought, especially after rapid growth. Frost hardy except in early 

 youth, and resists late frosts better than early ones, because it starts to grow late in 

 spring. 



TOLERANCE. — Moderately tolerant of shade throughout life, but especially tolerant of 

 heavy shade in early stages ; thrives also in open, provided the humidity of air is con- 

 st, -in I. Responds readily to side shading, so that forest-grown trees produce straight 

 Stems of considerable clear length. 



REPRODUCTION. — Very prolific annual seeder, beginning when about 12 years old and 

 continuing to an advanced age. Seed generally has a fairly high rate of germination, 

 but often a low one; vitality transient. Germinates abundantly in shaded moderately 

 open places, and considerably, also, in logged and burned-over areas. 



JUNIPERUS. JUNIPERS. 



The junipers, some of which must, unfortunately, be called "cedars." are 

 evergreen trees, either with branchlets closely covered by short, minute, scale- 

 like, sharp-pointed leaves, arranged in opposite pairs, alternating around the 

 stem (sometimes 3 in place of a pair), or with branchlets bearing much longer, 

 needle-like leaves which bristle, or, at least, stand out loosely in groups of 3 at 

 regular intervals. 



Close, settle-like leaves are very often marked with a pit on the back (figs. 68 

 to 74.) When crushed the foliage emits a pungently aromatic odor. Junipers 

 are further characterized by their fine-grained, aromatic, durable wood, which 

 is dull yellow brown in some species and a clear rose-purple red in others. The 

 bark is rather soft and distinctly stringy — one species only having brittle, check- 

 ered, hard bark. 



The fruits of junipers, popularly called "berries," clearly distinguish them 

 from the cypresses, which in the general appearance of their foliage they resem- 

 ble. The flowers are minute ami inconspicuous. Male flowers i pollen hearing 

 only) and female (developing into fruit) tire home on different trees, some- 

 times, hut rarely, both sexes occurring <>n the same tree. The "berries" tire 

 morphologically cones; the fleshy or berry-like covering made it]) of fleshy flower 

 scales (similar at first to those of conifers, which develop into woody cones) 

 which unite in growth so as to envelop the hard seeds (1 to 12 in number; 1 to 4 

 in Pacific junipers). Points of the united flower scales, or tip of the ovules, 

 can usually he seen more or less prominently on the surface of the mature fruit 

 (figs. G8 to 74). The berries ripen in one or in two seasons. Ripe berries are 

 dark blue, red brown, or copper-colored, the surface covered (one Texan juniper 

 excepted) with a whitish bloom, which may he rubbed off easily, showing the 

 ground color. The pulpy flesh of the berries is juicy or mealy, sweetish, and 

 strongly aromatic (due to the presence of resin cells). Birds eat the fruit of 

 junipers, hut the hard, bony seeds are entirely unaffected by digestion, which, 

 indeed, is believed to facilitate in some degree their germination. Both birds 

 and mammals play a most important part in the dissemination of these seeds. 

 Without their aid dissemination would hi' exceedingly slow on level ground, 

 where the heavy berries lie as they fall beneath the mother tree. On slopes, 



