Athrotaxis 



451 



at about 1000 ft. above sea-level. It is a prominent tree in the dense scrub which 

 covers this locality, being associated with Phyllocladus rhomboidalis, Nothofagus 

 Cunninghami, &c. These authors figure an old tree, said to be typical in habit, 

 which shows a twisted stem, free of branches for three quarters of its height, and 

 surmounted by a small irregular dense crown of foliage. A. selaginoides ascends 

 to 3000 ft. or more, as it occurs on the summit of Mt. Reed and other mountains, 

 usually in a much dwarfed and stunted form. 



Baker and Smith, who give excellent figures of the structure of the leaves 

 and wood, state that the wood is not unlike that of Sequoia sempervirens, both in 

 general characters and in texture, being open and straight in the grain, easy to 

 work, and very light in weight. It is pale reddish when freshly cut, but becomes 

 lighter in colour on exposure. Possessing great durability, and considerable 

 toughness and strength, it is used in Tasmania for cabinet-work, coach-building, and 

 for making oars. Penny ^ states that it occurs in limited quantities; and is 

 apparently never exported. 



This species was introduced about the year 1857 by Mr. W. Archer of 

 Cheshunt ; but appears to be less common in cultivation than A. laxifolia. A 

 thriving specimen at Osborne, Isle of Wight, planted in 1879, was 17^ feet high 

 in January 191 2, when it bore both young and old cones. A tree at Lamellen, 

 St. Tudy, Cornwall, which was 26 ft. high, died in 1909. From it Mr. Magor 

 raised a few seedlings, which are still small plants. A specimen at Abbotsbury was 

 killed by drought in the summer of 191 1. The finest specimen is at Kilmacurragh, 

 in Ireland, and measured 32 ft. high in March 191 2, when it was bearing numerous 

 old cones. A smaller tree is thriving at Rostrevor. (A. H.) 



ATHROTAXIS LAXIFOLIA 



Athrotaxis laxifolia, W. J. Hooker, Icon. Plant, t. 573 (1843) J J- D. Hooker, in Lond. Journ. 

 Bot. iv. 149 (1845), and Fl. Tasman. i. 354 (i860); Masters, in Gard. Chron. xxiv. 584, 

 fig. 134 (1885), ii. 724, figs. 142, 143 (1887), and ix. 144, 147, figs. 37, 38 (1891), and in 

 Journ. Linn. Soc. (Bot.) xxil 201, fig. 26 (1886); Kent, Veitch's Man. Conif. 261 (1900); 

 Rodway, Tasmanian Flora, 277 (1903); Baker and Smith, Pines of Australia, 313 (1910). 



Athrotaxis Doniana, Maule, ex Gordon, Pinet. Suppl. 16 (1862). 



A tree, attaining about 40 ft. in height. Bark reddish, fibrous, peeling off in 

 long vertical ribbons. Branchlets slender, covered by the decurrent bases of the 

 leaves. Leaves spirally arranged, closely imbricated, slightly spreading, about \ in. 

 long ; incurved at the acute or obtuse, rarely mucronate, apex ; dorsal surface keeled, 

 with two lateral depressions near the base, which are whitened by stomatic lines ; 

 ventral surface concave, with two longitudinal white stomatic bands ; margin entire, 

 thin and translucent towards the apex. 



Cones sub-globose, f in. in diameter, composed of 15 to 20 brown woody scales, 



1 Tasmanian Forestry, xi. 42 (1905). Penny quotes A. O. Green's tests of various Tasmanian timl)eis. This species 

 is one of the lightest, a cubic foot weighing only 22 lbs. 



