CONIFER/E 



305 



Laeix Miller. Larch. 



Leaves fascicled, deciduous. Seeds winged. 

 Larix europcea DC. (L. decidua Miller). 



A tree sometimes attaining a height of 160 feet. Leaves, or 

 needles, in fascicles of 20-30, slightly channelled, deciduous, 

 bright green, turning yellow-ochre in autumn. Cone ovoid, erect, 

 reddish purple when young, grey-brown when mature, 3-4 cm. long, 

 with persistent scales. 



This most useful timber tree reaches 2400 m. (7870 feet) in 

 Switzerland and the Western Alps — the extreme limit of trees, 

 and is almost totally absent from the Jura and sub-Alps. Very 

 fine specimens can be seen just above Saas Fee in Switzerland. 



Distribution. — Eastern, Central, and Western Alps. Central 

 Europe, Siberia. Elsewhere planted. 



On the Yen-e-say River Henry Seebohm tells us the Larch and 

 Birch extend further than any other trees, viz. to lat. 69!°, and 

 the Spruce comes next.^ 



In 1910 a book on Tree Limits in the Eastern Alps was published 

 by Dr. Richard Marek^ in which a table was given which shows 

 some of Kerner's results compared with Marek's, which were 

 largely based on already published maps and literature. The 

 table is as follows : 



T-,- . . . Upper limit of trees, Limit of forest, 



'^'""'^'- Kerner (metres). Marek (metres). 



Central Alps (Ortler). 2307 . . 2192 . . 



(Oetzthal). 2212 .. 2087 .. 



„ Eastern Tyrol, Salzburg 1991 . . 1910 . . 



Northern Tyrolese Limestone Alps 1904 . . 1897 . . 



South Tyrolese Alps 2086 . . 1936 ... 



North-Eastem Limestone Alps 1674 . . 1622 . . 



South-Eastern „ „ 1833 .. 1793 .. 



Average difference 82 metres. 



Difference 

 (metres). 



81 



7 



150 



52 



40 



Taxus L. Yew. 



Trees or shrubs with short, linear, evergreen leaves. Flowers 

 mostly dioecious. Catkin very small, with imbricated scales at the 

 base ; the males ending in a cluster of stamens ; the females con- 

 sisting in a single erect ovule with a small cup-shaped disk round its 

 base. Fruit a hard seed, partly embedded in a pulpy, berry-like 

 cup. 



A small genus, extending round the northern hemisphere. 



Taxus baccaia L. Common Yew. 



A dark, evergreen, much-branched tree, with thick trunk and 

 hard wood, attaining a great age. Leaves not an inch long, inserted 



' Henry Seebohm, Siberia in Asia. 



^ Marek, Waldgremstudien in den Oesterreichischen Alpen, 



