PINE FAMILY 



Leaves. — In clusters of three, slender, stiff, slightly twisted, acute 

 with callous tips, serrulate, pale green, glaucous, six to ten inches 

 long; fibro-vascular bundles two. Sheaths close, thin. 



Flowers. — April, May. Staminate flowers clustered, cylindrical, 

 three-fourths of an inch long ; anthers yellow with rounded denticu- 

 late crests ; involucral bracts eight to ten. Pistillate flowers lateral, 

 not far from the apex of the growing shoot which is several inches 

 long before they appear ; solitary or in pairs, sometimes in clusters of 

 three. Scales yellow ; peduncles short, covered by brown acuminate 

 bracts. 



Cones. — Lateral, ovate-oblong, three to five inches long. Scales 

 armed with stout recurved prickles, slightly concave, rounded at the 

 apex. Seeds dark brown blotched with black, rhomboidal ; wings 

 thin, fragile, three-fourths of an inch long. 



Scales thickened at apex, transverse ridge prominent, armed with 

 stout recurved prickles, slightly concave, rounded. 



PITCH PINE. TORCH PINE 



Phtus ngida. 



Usually fifty or sixty feet in height, with short trunk ; bears 

 cones when quite small ; capable of producing vigorous shoots from 

 both stem and stump after injury by fire. Bears both primary and 

 secondary leaves. Ranges from New Brunswick to Georgia, west- 

 ward to Kentucky and Tennessee. Found in dry sands or rocky 

 soil and in cold deep swamps. Ascends 3,000 feet above the sea 

 in Virginia. 



Bark. — Dark reddish brown, with deep fissures and broad, flat, 

 scaly ridges. On young stems thin and broken into plate-like, dark, 

 red brown strips. Branchlets smooth, bright green at first, become 

 orange yellow, finally a dark gray brown. 



Wood. — Light brown or red, sapwood yellow or white ; light, soft, 

 not strong, coarse-grained, durable, very resinous. Used for lum- 

 ber, fuel, and charcoal. Sp. gr. ,0.5151 ; weight of cu. ft., 32.10 lbs. 



.ffwrfj-.— Branch-buds obovate-oblong, acute, one to three-fourths 

 of an inch long ; scales dark brown, shining, fringed ; bases per- 

 sistent for years. 



Leaves. — Primary leaves are often borne on vigorous shoots start- 

 ing from an injured trunk. Secondary leaves in clusters of three, 

 stout, rigid, dark yellow green, three to five inches long ; fibro- 

 vascular bundles two ; sheaths one-half to one inch long. 



Flowers. — April, May. Staminate flowers clustered on the stem, 

 cylindrical, three-fourths of an inch long ; anthers yellow with nearly 

 orbicular entire crests ; involucral bracts six to eight. Pistillate 

 flowers lateral, clustered ; scales pale green tinged with rose, acute, 

 with slender tips ; peduncles covered with dark brown bracts. 



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