The Larches 49 



purplish or purplish brown scales. The twigs are stout, smooth, dark yeUowish 

 green becoming yellow-brown and finally purplish brown, and roughened by the 

 persistent bases of the bud-scales. Branch-buds are ovoid, about 8 mm. long, 

 sharp-pointed, their scales pale reddish brown with a margin of pale matted hairs. 

 The leaves are ia sheathed fascicles of 2, i to 1.5 dm. long, nearly 2 mm. thick, 

 stiff, minutely toothed, sharply thick-tipped and marked by many rows of sto- 

 mata; they contain 2 to 9 resin-ducts and 2 fibro vascular bundles. They are in 

 crowded tufts and persist for two or more years. The staminate flowers are in 

 long spike-like clusters intermingled with the large scales of the branch-buds, oval, 

 6 mm. long, their anthers dark orange-colored. The pistillate flowers are lateral, 

 in whorls, stout-stalked, about 8 mm. long, their scales ovate, narrowed into long, 

 slender, spreading tips, the bracts large and nearly orbicular. Cones are erect at 

 first, maturing the second autumn, when they are sessile and clustered in 3's or 

 5's, pendulous, ovoid-oblong, 5 to 8.5 cm. long, very oblique, hght bright brown 

 and shining, often remaining closed for a number of years before opening and 

 dropping their seed, and usually persisting indefinitely; the scales are much 

 thickened and flattened on the exposed portions; the knob below the apex is flat- 

 tened and armed with a stout stiff flattened spine. The seed is somewhat triangu- 

 lar, 5 mm. long, roughened and nearly black, the wing about 2 cm. long, broadest 

 near the middle; cotyledons 4 or 5. 



The wood is very hard and strong, rather coarse-grained, light brown with 

 little resin. Its specific gravity is about 0.49. It is sparingly sawed into lumber. 



It is said to be a very desirable pine for planting in the Pacific States and is 

 known by many names, as: California swamp pine. Prickly cone pine, Obispo 

 pine. Dwarf marine pine. Bishop's pine, and Anthony's pine. 



11. THE LARCHES 



GENUS LAEIX ADANSON 



HIS genus is composed of about eight species of conic trees, which, 

 like most of the north temperate conifers, are reduced to mere shrubs 

 at high altitudes and latitudes. They are confined to the cooler por- 

 tions of the northern hemisphere, three species inhabiting North Amer- 

 ica, two occurring in Europe, and four or five in Asia. 



Aside from their use as lumber, they produce no important economic products, 

 except that the oleoresin from the European larch, Larix Larix (L.) Karsten, 

 the type of the genus, is used medicinally under the name Venice turpentine. 



The trunks are straight, rather slender, and covered by thick, rough, scaly or 

 furrowed bark. The branches are remote and slender, usually horizontal, some- 

 times £iscending; the branchlets are slender, elongated, and usually pendulous; 

 they are roughened by short, scaly, bud-like branches. The buds are small, 

 nearly globose, covered by many broad shining brown scales, some of which 



