TAMARACK 



Type specimens from commercial sources and from trees known 

 before felling. 



Wiesner (131), p. 149, gives details of the microscopic structure 

 of this wood, with a " key " (after Burgerstein) arranged for the 

 purpose of distinguishing it from the wood of the Fir. He also 

 states that the wood consists entirely of tracheids without any 

 woody parenchyma. 



No. 239. TAMARACK. Larix americana. Michx. 



■Plate XVI. Fig. 137. 



Natural Order. Coniferse. 



Synonyms. Pinus pendula, Ait. Abies pendula, Poir, etc. 



Alternative Names. Black Larch : American Larch : Hack- 

 matack (49). Epinette rouge (108). Red Spruce (95). 



Sources of Supply. United States and Canada. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry-weight, 35-42I lbs. per 

 cu. ft. I have no other details, as I do not possess a solid speci- 

 men. 



Grain. Fine. Surface not very lustrous : slightly satiny. 



Bark. " Of a bluish-grey colour . . . flakes off when old 

 in small roundish scales " (49). 



Uses, etc. " Very strong : railway- ties, fence-posts, telegraph 

 poles and knees for ships and shipbuilding generally ... is 

 capable of supporting a great weight " (65). " Strong, com- 

 pact and durable . . . one of the best timbers for railway-ties 

 ... a favourite wood for shipbuilding " (49). " It has given 

 good results as paving material in Canada " (108). " Very 

 strong, durable in contact witk the soil " (100). " Cannot be 

 surpassed for knees, bends and garlands for shipbuilding " (95). 



Authorities. Robb (95). Macoun (65), p. 38. Ditto (66), 

 p. 485. Hough (49), pt. i. p. 72. Laslett (60), p. 379. Petsche 

 (108). Sargent (100), p. 215. Pinus contorta is spoken of by 

 Petsche as " Tamarack or Hackmatack." 



Colour. " Light brown with lighter sap-wood " (49). " Red- 

 dish-grey " (60). " Light brown : the sap-wood nearly white " 

 (3). Heart very irregular in contour. 



Anatomical Characters. As those of L. europea, No. 238. 



Rays. Readily visible in Radial section in certain lights. 



Pores or vertical resin-canals readily visible as brown lines : 

 prominent in Tangential section. Autumn wood rather sharply 

 defined from Spring wood. 



The above details have been obtained from a section by Hough. 



269 



