10 



The Pines 



what more, with a trunk up to 4 meters in diameter ; trees of even larger dimensions 

 than these are said to have existed at the time the species was discovered by Douglas 

 in southern Oregon. 



The bark of old trees is fissured into long plates, brown to red-bro\^Ti and 

 5 cm. thick or more; that of young trees is smooth, much thinner and gray. The 

 stout young twigs are somewhat hairy, becoming smooth and brown. The leaves 



Fig. 4. — Sugar Pine. 



are 5 in each cluster, stout, toothed, at least above the middle, dark green and 

 about I dm. long; the sheath of the clusters falls away early. The oblong stami- 

 nate flowers are blunt, numerous, i to 1.5 cm. long. The pistillate flowers are 

 terminal, usually 2 or more together. The ripe cones are ver\- large, 3 to 4.5 dm. 

 long, pendulous, 7 to 9 cm. thick while the scales are closed, and shed their seeds 

 in the autumn of the second season, falling away from the tree during the third 



