346 The New York State College of Forestry 



imbricated, the 2 pollen sacs terminated by a crest-like, nearly orbicular 

 connective; ovulate flowers conical or cylindrical, consisting of spirally 

 arranged, imbricated, ovuliferous scales borne in the axils of non-accrescent 

 bracts; ovules 2, inverted. Fruit a pendant, woody cone maturing at the end 

 of the second or rarely of the third season, consisting of the enlarged and 

 indurated scales of the ovulate flower which are thickened and sometimes 

 a^\^led at the end; at maturity the cone-scales dry out and spread to liberate 

 the 2 nut-like, winged seeds; cotyledons 3-12, linear. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES page 



1. Leaves in fascicles of 5; cones cylindrical, 4—10 inches long P. Strobus 77 



1. Leaves in fascicles of 2-3; cones conical or ovate-conical, 1-3 J inches long. .2 



2. Leaves in fascicles of 3 3 



2. Leaves in fascicles of 2 4 



3. Leaves somewhat rigid; cone-scales armed with stout prickles P. rigida 79 



3. Leaves flaccid; cone-scales armed with weak prickles P. echinata 85 



4. Leaves 3-6 inches long 5 



4. Leaves |-3 inches long 6 



5. Cone-scales unarmed ; cones subterminal P. resinosa 87 



5. Cone-scales with slender prickles; cones lateral P. echinata 85 



6. Leaves f-lj inches long; cone-scales unarmed or at most with weak 



prickles P. Banksiana 83 



6. Leaves 1^3 inches long; cone-scales armed with slender prickles 



P. virginiana 81 



The various species of pines fall into two groups, the soft and 

 the hard pines, which are characterized as follows : 



Soft Pines ■ — Wood soft, Ught, even-textured, with thin, nearly white 



sapwood ; fascicle-sheaths deciduous ; leaves ^^'ith one 



vascular bundle. 

 Hard Pines — Wood hard, heavy, coarse-grained, dark colored, often 



with thick sapwood; fascicle-sheaths persistent; leaves 



with two vascular bundles. 



THE LARCHES OR TAMARACKS. Genus LARIX (Tourn.) 



Adans. 

 Larix is a genus of nine species of trees which are widely dis- 

 tributed over the northern and mountainous regions of the north- 

 ern hemisphere in both the New and Old World. They produce 

 hard, heavy, strong and durable wood which is valuable for struc- 

 tural purposes. Three species are indigenous to the United States, 

 one of which, Larix laricina, occurs in New York State. 



Leaves deciduous, narrowly linear, triangular or rarely 4-sided, rounded 

 above, keeled and stomatiferous beneath, borne solitary in spirals on the 

 leading shoots and in sheathless fascicles on short spurs on the older growth, 

 turning yellow before falling in the autmun. Flowers solitary, terminal, 

 monoecious, appearing w^ith the leaves; staminate flowers oval, globose or 

 oblong, yellow, sessile or stalked, consisting of numerous, spirally arranged 



