440 



BOTANY 



from the basal portion of the fertile scale, on the upper side ; but in 

 the Gupressoideae they are axillary, arising from a cushion-like swelling. 

 During the modification of th« flower in the formation of the seeds, 

 the scales in most cases become lignified, and the fruit, familiarly known 

 as a cone, is thus produced. In some less frequent cases the fruit 

 resembles a berry in form. 



Site -Families. — (1) Cupressoideae. Leaves opposite or in whorls; carpels 

 simple ; ovules axillary, erect. Juniperus (Juniper), Cupressus (Cypress), Thuja 

 (Arbor Vitae). (2) Taxodioideae : Taxodium (American Cypress), Sequoia. (3) 

 Araucarioideae : Araucaria, Agathis. (4) Abietoideae. Leaves spiral ; carpels 

 divided into cover- and fertile scale ; ovules attached to the fertile scale, inverted. 

 Abies (Silver Firs), Picea (Spruce Firs), Larix (Larches), Pinus (Pines). 



Repkesentative Species. — Juniperus communis (Common Juniper, Fig. 370). 

 Shrubs with needle-shaped leaves arranged in whorls of three, and having a resinous 



bloom ; female flowers consisting of 

 three scales, each with an axillary 

 ovule ; scales of the ripe fruit succu- 

 lent and united, forming a berry. 

 Abies alba, the Silver Fir (Fig. 371). 

 Lofty forest trees upwards of 65 m. 

 in height, with a silver-grey bark 

 when old ; crown pyramid - shaped, 

 with horizontally extending, elon- 

 gated branches ; leaves needle-shaped, 

 flattened on the under side, with two 

 bluish -white longitudinal lines in 

 addition to the middle nerve, dis- 

 placed on the lateral branches in two 

 comb-like rows on each side of the 

 axis. The flowers are axillary and 

 appear in May at the tips of the 

 branches ; the male flowers are cylin- 

 drical, some 20 mm. long, and bear 

 numerous spirally -arranged staminal 

 leaves, each having on the under side 

 two pollen-sacs opening by a longi- 

 tudinal slit (Fig. 371, a) ; the female 

 flowers are oblong - cylindrical, about 

 6 cm. long, and consist of closely 

 aggregated cover, and fertile scales 

 arranged spirally on a spindle-shaped 

 axis. The cones (ft) are erect, their 

 pointed cover -scales are much nar- 

 rower but longer than the fertile scales 

 (c, d), and, in consequence, they are 

 visible externally. At maturity the 

 scales, together with the seeds (c, d), 



Fig. 371. — Abies cdba. a, Male flower ; /and ft, sporo- 

 phylls ; Zj, cone ; c, carpel, viewed from below 

 (dorsal surface), showing the fertile and cover- 

 scale ; d, the same viewed from above (ventral 

 surface). (After Berg and Schmidt ; a, c, d, nat. 

 size ; b, reduced.) 



become detached from the axis and fall to the ground. Picea excelsa, the Norway 

 Spruce, resembles the Silver Fir in size and appearance. The needles are four-sided, of 

 a uniform colour, and point in all directions, but frequently bending to the right and 



