592 ARAUCARIACE.'E 



size. They have a cotyledons, sometimes deeply divided, so as to 

 appear hke many; and in the formation of annual rings of wood 

 in the sleiii they resemble Dicotyledons. Resin-passages generally 

 occur in all parts of these plants. The primary branches com- 

 monly appear to be whorled ; but they^ generally themselves 

 branch horizontally. There are sometimes short shoots or spurs 

 of limited growth. In the genus Piiius, foliage-leaves occur only 

 on such shoots. The leaves are either needle-shaped, linear, or 

 scale-like, the only exception being the interesting Maiden-hair 

 Tree of Japan {Ginkgo biloba). I'he flowers are generally in the 

 form of cones, that is, with an elongated floral axis, whence the 

 name of the Class; and they are always imperfect; nor is there 

 any perianth. The staininate flower consists of a cone of stamens, 

 each of which is a fiat or peltate scale bearing from 2 — 9 pollen- 

 sacs on its lower surface. The seed-bcarijig or ''fertile" flower 

 differs widely in the two Orders, 



Okd. XCII. Araul'Ariace^. — The; Pine FAiriLV. 



Leaves spirally arranged or whorled, needle-shaped or scale-like ; 

 fertile flower, generally described as a " cone " or axis, bearing a 

 number of scale-like carpels, which either bear the ovules directlv, 

 or have in their axils other scales, the placentas, wliich bear them ; 

 ovules inverted or erect; c iie becoming \toody or fleshy as the 

 seed ripens ; seed with a woody or leathery testa, sometimes winged. 

 The Arucandc-ce form extensive belts of forest in many regions, 

 especially north of 40° N. lat. and on mountains, large areas 

 being sometimes occupied by a small number of species, such as 

 the Larches (Ldrix eitrofdca and L. sibhica), the Northern Pine 

 (Piniis sylvcstris), the Spruce (Pieea e.xcelsa), &:c. Ja])an and 

 China, with the genera Giuk;io, Cryf'toiiieria, !kc., the Himalayas, 

 with the Deodar Cedar (Cedrus Deoddra) and various species of 

 Pine and Spruce, and the Pacific slopt; of North America, 

 with the Manuiioth 'I'ree and Redwood {Sequoia gigdulea and 

 S. seiiifcr-virrits). the (Jregou or Douglas Spruce {Pseudtdsi'ii^a 

 Dougldsii), Cupressus Laicsoiinino . \:c., form other great centres 

 of the Order in the Norlherii Hemisphere; whilst Araiicdria. the 

 "Monkey-Puzzles," and other genera are confined to the Southern 

 Hemisphere. 



The Order is one of the highest utih'tv t:) man. Among 

 timbers, the Northern Pint; (Pliius .vv/ri'.'/r/.v), tlie Pitch I'ine of 

 the Southern United States {/'. austrdlis) and others, the Larch 

 {Ldrix europica) and the Douglas Spruce may he mentioned as 

 pre-eminent. The turpenlme of the Northern Pine, the Pitch 



