THE TRUE PINES. 30? 



No. 73. PiNUS Lambeetiana, Douglas, Lambert's Pine. 



Leaves in fives, four inches and a half long, rather stifi^ of a 

 dull, but not shining green colour, rather rough at the edges, 

 and slightly glaucous when young. Sheaths very short, or 

 nearly wanting in the old leaves. Branches in whorls, nume- 

 rous, and rather pendulous towards the extremities, and densely 

 clothed with foliage. Cones very large, from 12 to 16 inches 

 long, and four inches in diameter; deep brown, cylindrical, 

 tapering to the point, mostly straight, and destitute of resinous 

 matter; pendulous when full grown, although nearly erect 

 when young. Scales roundish on the upper part, rather flat, 

 neither elevated nor projecting, and only loosely pressed on 

 each other, nearly one inch and a half broad in the larger ones, 

 which are near the middle of the cone, but much smaller in those 

 near the extremities ; those near the base being rather open, 

 incurved, and more pointed. Seeds large, oval, seven-eighths of 

 an inch long, and with the wings one inch and three-quarters 

 long, and dark-brown. They require two years to ripen, are 

 very pleasant to taste, and are used for food by the Indians, as 

 well as the gum-resin, which is freely produced by the tree 

 when set on fire, as a substitute for sugar. 



A gigantic tree, growing from 150 to 200 feet high, and from 

 20 to 60 feet in girth near the ground, with a straight stem 100 

 feet clear of branches, and an open pyramidal head. 



It is found extending over a large tract of country, but in- 

 termixed with other firs, in the northern parts of California, 

 and in North-west America, at a distance of 100 miles from 

 the sea, attaining its greatest diameter when growing in pure 

 sand. 



The Sugar Pine is found in almost unlimited numbers along 

 the whole length of the Sierra Nevadas, of large size, and valued 

 very highly for its timber; and excellent resin and turpentine 

 are produced by the tree in the Butta Yerba and Nevada 

 counties. 



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