428 The Genus Araucaria. 



planted in the open air in 1846, and is now a flourishing tree. 

 It may also be seen growing in the Botanic Garden of 

 Florence, in both of which it has borne cones. These, in 

 their young state, strongly resemble A. Brasiliensis, with the 

 exception that the spines of the scales are much longer, very 

 uniformly recurved, and curling so far back as to completely 

 cover the junction of the two scales. So dense are the spines 

 on these young cones that the scales are completely hidden by 

 them, and the cone much more resembles a fine head of 

 Fuller's teazel than the fruit of a Coniferous tree. In the 

 mature cone the scales are much more fully developed, and the 

 spines Lave the appearance of small recurved hooks. 



The newest of all the Araucarias, and perhaps one of the 

 most remarkable, whether as to its place of growth or its habit, 

 is the A. Bulei, Muell. This was first known in England in 

 1861 or 1862, when small specimens of the foliage were received 

 by Sir W. J. Hooker, at Kew. The native habitat of this 

 species is very limited; the whole of the trees as yet dis- 

 covered occupying a radius of only half a mile, and this on 

 the summit of an extinct volcano, where the changes of 

 season produce the greatest extremes of drought and heat, or 

 rain, and cold winds, and where no other vegetation exists for 

 hundreds of feet below. It grows on a parallel lat. with A. 

 Bidwilli, but situate at double the elevation of the habitat of 

 that tree. It was discovered and introduced from Port Molle, 

 by Mr. W. Duncan, collector to John Rule, Esq., of Victoria, 

 in honour of whom Dr. Mueller has given it its specific name. 

 It is a tree rising some 50 or 60 feet high, branching in 

 like manner to A. imbricata, bat the branches more thickly 

 arranged round the stem, and these of a more rigid and 

 tabular form, forking in all directions, at equidistances, in a 

 most symmetrical manner. The leaves are very closely im- 

 bricated, of a dark shining green colour. Its nearest affinity 

 is with A. imbricata, which it resembles in a remarkable 

 degree in many points, but in others it is wholly distinct. Its 

 beauty is said far to surpass the last-named species, or even of 

 any other species known. The cones are nearly spherical, the 

 scales about an inch broad, terminating with a long projecting 

 narrow point, or scale, about an inch long. Of the economic 

 uses of this species nothing is yet known, though it is probable 

 the seeds are eaten like some of the other species. Mr. W. 

 Bull, the well-known nurseryman, of the King's Road, Chelsea, 

 introduced this rare plant into this country. 



The following, from an account of two Araucarias, one of 

 which is A. Bulei, isgiven by Dr. Mueller, in his report on Lieut. 

 Fitzalan'g expedition : — <( A. Oiinninghami, found on C unite err 

 land Islands, occurs southward to the vicinity of the Hastings 



