958 ARBORETUM ET FRUTICETUM BRITANNICUM. 
2 P. L. 5 austriaca. P. austriaca Hoss; Laricio d’Autriche, ou de la 
Hongrie, Delamarre.— Scarcely differs from P. caramanica, which 
grows both in Romania and in the Crimea. We are satisfied of this, 
not only from living plants in British gardens, but from cones which 
we have received from Vienna. 
Other Varieties. P.altissima and probably some other names are applied 
to P. Laricio, or some of its varieties, but not in such a manner as to enabie 
us to state anything satisfactory respecting them. The only truly distinct 
forms of this species, in our opinion, are, P. L. corsicana, P. L. caramé- 
nica (of which there is a handsome tree in the Horticultural Society’s 
Garden, under the name of P. romana), P. L. Pallasidna (of which there 
are trees at White Knights and Boyton), and perhaps P. L. pyrenaica ; the 
two last we have treated as species, for the sake of keeping them distinct. 
The branches are disposed in whorls, of five or six in a whorl; which are 
distinguished from the branches of P. Pinaster, by being often twisted and 
turned in a lateral direction at their extremities, especially in full-grown trees. 
The leaves vary much in length, according to the age of the tree, and the soil 
on which it grows. The shortest are generally 4 or 5 inches, and the longest 7 
or 8 inches, long. The cones are commonly 
in pairs, but sometimes three and some- 
times four occur together: they point " 
horizontally and slightly downwards, and AT i 
sometimes they are slightly curved, so as S\ Nit i} if ; 
to be concave at the extremity of the side AN 4 
next the ground. They are from 2 in. to 
3 in., or more, in length; of a ruddy yellow 
or tawny colour, or greenish. In France, 
according to Thouin, P. Laricio grows 
two thirds faster than the Scotch pine, 
placed in a similar soil and _ situation. 
Baudrillart says that the wood of P. 
Laricio has neither the strength nor the 
elasticity of that of P. sylvéstris. Previ- 
ously to the year 1788, the wood was only 
used by the French government for the 
beams, the flooring, and the side planks of 
ships ; but, in that year, the administration 
of the marine sent two engineers to examine 
the Forests of Lonca and Rospa in Corsica, in which abundance of trees were 
found fit for masts. After this, entire vessels were built with it: only it was 
found necessary to give greater thickness to the masts, in order to supply its 
want of strength and elasticity. The thickness of the sap wood in P. Laricio 
is greater than in most other species of pine ; but the heart wood is found to 
be of very great duration. In Corsica, it is employed for all the purposes for 
which it is used, when of 36 or 40 years’ growth. It is easily worked, and 
is used both by cabinetmakers and sculptors in wood ; the figures which orna- 
ment the heads of vessels being generally made of it. In Britain, the tree 
hitherto can only be considered as being one of ornament; and, as such, it 
deserves to be planted extensively for its very regular and handsome form, and 
the intensely dark green of its abundant foliage. It also deserves planting on 
a large scale as a useful tree, on account of the great rapidity of its growth. 
In the low districts of Britain, it might probably be a good substitute for P. 
sylvéstris. 
24, P. (L.) austrraca Hoss. The Austrian, or black, Pine 
Identification, Hiss Anleit., p. 6. ; Lawson’s Manual, p. 338. 
Synonymes. P. nigricans Hort.; P. nigréscens Hort. ; schwartz Fohre, Ger. 
Engravings. Fig. 1772., showing the bud of a plant of two years’ growth in the Horticultural Soe 
ciety’s Garden ; and fig. 1773., a cone of the natural size, from a specimen recetved at Vienna, 
ul i 
ge 
ag 
. 1771. P. Larfcio. 
