or short catkins with closely packed scales, 

 or the females are solitary. There is no 

 perianth. The stamens in the males are 

 either inserted on the axis of the catkin 

 under the scales, or the anther-cells are 

 sessile on the inside of the scales them- 

 selves, ■which then form part of the sta- 

 mens. The ovules and seeds are naked, 

 that is, without ovary, style, or pericarp, 

 althoush sometimes more or less enclosed 

 in two bracts, or in a fleshy or hardened 

 disk. The seeds are albuminous, with one 

 or sometimes several embryos in the centre, 

 each embrvo having sometimes more than 

 two cotyledons. There are probably nearly 

 two hundred species known, dispersed over 

 a great part of the globe, several of them 

 forming large forests in temperate climates, 

 or more rarely within the tropics ; while 

 some of them "extend almost to the utmost 

 limits of woody vegetation in high lati- 

 tudes, or at great elevations. They are 

 distributed into about twenty-five genera, 

 forming three tribes or sub-orders : 1. 

 Abietince, with the fruits collected in cones, 

 and inverted ovules ; of this the principal 

 genera are Pin us (including Abies), Arauca- 

 ria, Cunninghamia, Sequoia, &c. 2. Cupres- 

 sinere. with the fruits collected in cones, and 

 erect ovules : including Juniperus, CaUitris, 

 Thuja, Cupressus, Taxodium, Cryptomeria, 

 arc. 3. Taxinece, sometimes considered as 

 a distinct family, with the fruits solitary 

 or loosely spiked, including Podocarpus, 

 Bacrydium,Pliyllocladus, Salisburia, Taxus, 

 &c. 



The woody tissue of the trees of this 

 family is seen to bejnarked with pecu- 

 liar circular dots or punctatiuns when ex- 

 amined under the microscope. The ovules 

 at the base of each cone-scale are gene- 

 rally held to be naked, each ovule having 

 a large opening at its apex, to which 

 the pollen from the stamens is applied 

 directly. But some say that the ovules are 

 not naked, but are contained in a proper 

 ovary which is closely applied to the seed; 

 that "the outer membranous scales are 

 modified leaves ; and that the hard scales 

 are altered branches bearing the pistillate 

 flowers. 



Some botanists look upon Conifers as the 

 highest type of true dicotyledons. They 

 are most abundant in temperate regions, 

 both in the northern and southern hemi- 

 spheres. In Europe, Siberia, and China, and 

 in the temperate parts of North America, we 

 meet with species of pine, spruce, larch, 

 cedar, and juniper. In the southern hemi- 

 sphere they are replaced by Araucaria, 

 Eutassa, Bamma/ra, Podocarpus, and Ba- 

 crydium. 



Conifers are of great importance to man- 

 kind. They supply valuable timber, and 

 yield resin, oil, pitch, and turpentine. Some 

 attain a great size. Thus Wellingtonia, gi- 

 gantea has been known to attain in Oregon, 

 a height of 450 feet, with a circumference 

 of 116 feet at the base. Taxodium Hcmpcr- 

 virens also attains an enormous size. The 

 various species of Pinus have their leaves 

 in clusters of two, three, four, five, or six, 

 surrounded by a membranous sheath at 



the base. Pinus syirestris is the common 

 Scotch fir, which abounds in cold climates, 

 and which supplies timber, turpentine, and 

 pitch, as well as a hemp-like fibre from its 

 leaves, which is used for stuffing pillows 

 and cushions under the name of pine wool. 

 Pinus Pinaster, the Bordeaux pine, thrives 

 well on the sea-shore. Abies includesdiffer- 

 ent species of fir and spruce, in all of which 

 the leaves come off from the stem and 

 branches singly. Abies excelsa is the Nor- 

 way spruce ; A. balsamea the balm of 

 Gilead fir; A. canadensis the hemlock spruce; 

 and A.pectinata the silver fir. Cedrus com- 

 prises those cedars which have clustered 

 persistent leaves. Cedrus Libani is the 

 cedar of Lebanon, the Eres of the Bible; 

 while Cedrus Beodara, a local variety, is 

 the sacred cedar of India. Larix includes 

 the species of larch, which have clustered 

 deciduous leaves. Larix europea is the com- 

 mon larch ; L.G-riffltliii the Himalayan larch. 

 The Araucarias have single-seeded scales, 

 with adherent seeds and many-celled an- 

 thers ; Araucaria imbricata is a Chilian 

 species; A. BidwiUii is from Moreton Bay: 

 both have edible seeds. Eutassa excelsa is 

 the Norfolk Island pine, which yields valu- 

 able wood. Cryptomeria japonica is the 

 Japan cedar. Cupressus sempervirens is 

 the common cypress. The Junipers have 

 a peculiar succulent fruit. Juniperus Ber- 

 mudiana furnishes the cedar for pencils. 

 The species of Thuja are known by the 

 name of Arbor Vitae. [J. H. B.] 



CONIMA. The fragrant gum resin of the 

 incense tree, Idea heptaphylla. 



CONIOCTSTS. Closed spore-cases re- 

 sembling tubercles, and containing a mass 

 of spores. 



CONIOGRAMMA. A name given by Fee 

 to the species of Gymnogramma repre- 

 sented by G.javanica. [T. M.] 



CONIOMYCETES. A family of Fungi 

 distinguished by the predominance of the 

 spores over the receptacle. The spores are 

 simple or articulated, solitary or chained 

 together, and sometimes fasciculate, naked 

 or enclosed in a distinct cyst. The plants, 

 however, in which this last structure ob- 

 tains are probably, for the most part, mere 

 conditions of Sphccriw and other pyrenomy- 

 cetous Fungi. The most important mem- 

 bers of the family, are the numerous parasi- 

 tic species which affect the living organs 

 of plants, and cause great mischief, especi- 

 ally amongst our corn crops, by exhausting 

 the energies of the mother plant, and pre- 

 venting the full development of the seed. 

 One or two of these, which grow on differ- 

 ent species of Juniper, approach Tremella 

 in outward appearance, as all do in some 

 peculiarities of structure. In most of these 

 the spores exhibit bright colours, while in 

 other divisions they are as generally black. 

 The dark soot-like patches which are so 

 common on old rails and dead wood are 

 formed mostly by these dingy Coniomycetes, 

 which notwithstanding their unpromising 

 appearance, are often full of interest when 

 closely examined. [M. J. B.] 



