482 THE PIKE FAMILY. 



The most commonly planted Conifers, not belonging to the above genera, 

 are species of Cypress, resembling Junipers in foliage and male flowers, 

 but the fruit is larger and woody, with numerous small seeds; or of Tkuia, 

 very near Cypress, but with flattened branches, and very small, ovate, dry 

 cones, with few seeds ; or of Taxodiwm, with deciduous leaves, and a small 

 cone near that of Cypress; besides the Sequoias of California, Cryptomeria 

 from Japan, and several others of recent introduction hkely to become com- 

 mon in our plantations. 



I. FINE. PINUS. 



Trees, with linear or subulate leaves. Male catkins closely imbricated, 

 with 2 adnate anther-cells on the inside of each scale (at least apparently so, 

 for in fact the scale is the connectivum of the anther, and the whole catkin 

 thus consists of nothing but closely imbricated anthers). Female catkins 

 short, consisting of closely imbricated scales, with 2 ovides on the inside of 

 eacli ; the foramen, or open pore at the top of the ovule, turned downwards. 

 Fruit a cone, consisting of more or less hardened, imbricated scales, each one 

 covering 2 winged seeds. 



A large genus, constituting the great mass of the Conifers of the northern 

 hemisphere, scarcely penetrating mto the tropics, and unknown in the 

 southern hemisphere. 



1. Scotch Pine. Finus sylvestris, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 2460. Common Pine. Norway or Riga Pine or Fir. 



Scotch Fir.) 



A tree of considerable size ; the main trunk simple or forked, with a red- 

 dish bark, and a rather dense head, but less so than in many other species. 

 Leaves stiffly subulate, evergreen, seldom above 2 inches long, in pairs, sur- 

 rounded by short, scarious scales. Cones sessile, ovoid, conical, recm'ved 

 when young ; the scales hard and woody, much thickened upwards, with a 

 short, thick point, often turned backward in the lower scales of one side of 

 the cone, but generally disappearing as the cone ripens. Seeds with an 

 obliquely lanceolate, obtuse wing, 2 or 3 times as long as the seed itself. 



Widely distributed over northern and central Europe and Russian Asia, 

 chiefly in granitic or sandy sods, and in the mountains of southern Europe 

 and the Caucasus. Truly indigenous in the Scotch Higltlands, and in 

 former times in Ireland; extensively planted all over Britain, and quite 

 naturalized in some parts of southern England. Fl. spring. 



The cultivated species of this genus are very numerous, belonging to the 

 four principal sections, considered by some as genera, viz. :• — 1. The true 

 Pines, with subidate evergreen leaves, in clusters of 2 to 5, and hard cones 

 with the scales usually thickened at the top, including, besides the Scotch P., 

 tlte Pinaster or maritime P., the 'tVeymouth P., the Eoman P., etc. 2. The 

 Spruce Firs, with shorter, somewhat flattened leaves, arranged singly and 

 often in two opposite ranks, and with thin scales to the cones, including the 

 common or Norway Spruce, now almost naturalized in Britain, the silver 

 Spruce, the Semlock Spruce, the halm of Gilead Fir, the Douglas Pine, etc. 

 3. The Larch, with short, fine, deciduous leaves, in dense clusters, and small 

 cones with thin scales; and 4. Tlie Cedar of Lebanon, and Deodara, with 

 short, evergreen, subulate leaves, clustered as in the Larches, and large, 

 hard, closely packed cones. 



