360 



FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



branched crown and only a short trunk. The deep reddish-brown bark of 

 large trunks is deeply furrowed and cut into little squarish divisions. The 

 small twigs are smooth, reddish yellow to red brown. Mature leaves (fig. 168), 

 thick, leathery, glossy deep green on their top sides, and much lighter green 

 beneath: marginal teeth prickly. Leaves of a season's growth remain on the 



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Fig. 169. — Primus ilicifolia integrifolia. 



trees about two summers. The fruit (fig. 168), ripe from October to Novem- 

 ber, is a clear deep red, becoming red-purple and very dark with age: pulp 

 exceedingly thin. tart, and palatable. The large, thin-shelled, pale yellowish 

 stone prominently veiny. Ripe fruit is carried away by birds, which thus 

 assist in disseminating the seed, and extensively eaten by mountain rodents, 



