1036 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Cones subterminal, short-stalked, never opening, spreading, ovoid, obtuse at the 

 apex, 2 to 3 in. long, i^ to 2 in. wide, greenish with a violet tinge before ripening, 

 brown when mature. Scales numerous, scarcely woody, brittle, about i in. long and 

 f in. broad ; apophysis, bent at nearly a right angle to the concealed part of the scale, 

 with semicircular, sharp, and bevelled margin, and minutely tomentose outer surface; 

 umbo terminal, thickened, triangular or rounded. 



Seed obovoid, about | in. long, dull brown, convex on the lower, flattened on 

 the upper surface, with rounded and scarcely sharp angled sides, wingless,^ edible. 

 These are distributed by nutcrackers, squirrels, and dormice, who break the scales of 

 the cone, which never open, and carry away the seeds to their larders or holes ; and 

 as some are often dropped by the way, seedlings are observed in the Alps and else- 

 where at a considerable distance from the parent tree. 



Varieties ^ 



1. Var. sibirica, Loudon {Pinus sibirica, Mayr'). The tree occurring in 

 Siberia is scarcely to be distinguished by any definite morphological characters from 

 the typical form of central Europe (var. helvetica, Loudon), though Willkomm and 

 others state that it has longer cones and larger seeds. The physiological differences 

 are, however, considerable, as the Siberian tree attains a much greater height, 

 forming a narrow pyramidal tree, like P. Strobus in habit ; and is faster in growth 

 in the young stage, with longer shoots, and more branchlets developed in each 

 whorl. These differences are preserved in trees growing in severe climates, like 

 Scandinavia and Germany ; but in this country the Siberian variety is very slow in 

 growth, and does not appear to be long-lived. 



2. Several varieties of horticultural origin have been described, as var. aurea, 

 Kew Handlist of Conifercs, 127 (1903), and a dwarf form and a single-leaved form, 

 mentioned by Carriere in Conif. 389 (1867). 



Distribution 



This species occurs in two distinct regions, one embracing a vast area in Russia 

 and Siberia, and the other confined to narrow limits in the Alps and Carpathians. 

 In Europe it is widely spread in isolated tracts throughout nearly the whole of 

 the Alps, scarcely ever descending* below 5000 ft., and reaching timber line in 

 different places at 6200 to 8000 ft. elevation. In France it is called arole or auvier, 

 and is confined to the northern part of the Maritime Alps, the high peaks of 

 Dauphin^, the Graian Alps, and Mont Blanc. In the Maurienne, close to Modane, 

 it is well seen in the wild forest of Villarodin Bourget, where it begins at about 



1 Kirchner, op. cit, 270, fig. 136, describes and figures the vestiges of the rudimentary wing, which remains attached to 

 the scale. 



2 Var. pumila is now considered to be a distinct species, P. pumila, Regel. (See p. 1045.) 



3 Mayr reUes on trifling differences in the colour of the leaves, and in the shape and colour of the buds, characters which 

 I have not been able to verify. The two trees, one of Swiss, and the other of Siberian origin, in the Christiania Botanic 

 Garden, though strikingly different in habit, show no differences in leaves, buds, or branchlets. 



* The lowest altitude, according to Di. Rikli, is 4000 ft., near Raron, in the upper Rhone valley. 



