OBSERVATIONS ON HIMALAYAN CONIFERS. 



237 



appears in Siberia from the eastern slope of the Ural to the 

 Lena ; near Okhotsk he found the Kedrovoi Slanetz or P. 

 Cembra, var. humistrata, the elastic stone-pine or spreading 

 cedar of eastern Siberia, which has several stems 12 feet high 

 and 3 inches in diameter, erect in summer, but completely pros- 

 trated by the snow in winter. The cones are but half the size 

 of P. Cembra, with nuts of equally good flavour. 



The name Cembra is vernacular in Dauphine ; the German is 

 Zirbel ; the Swiss Arve, Arbe, Alvies, and Arth ; the Russian 

 Kedr, Kedrovoi, has probably been applied under the idea that 

 it was the cedar : the tree is nowhere indigenous to Russia, and 

 cannot have had an original Sclavonic designation. 



There is a fourth species of Pinus, hitherto unnamed, on the 

 Khusiya hills and on the mountains of Upper Assam, which, 

 from the form of the cone and the locality, seems to be the P. 

 Nepalensis of Dr. Royle (Illustrations, 353), and of the Arbo- 

 retum Brit., iv. p. 2236, f. 2117. It resembles P. sinensis, and 

 is thus described by Dr. Griffith {Itinerary Notes, p. 58, No. 

 901) : " Pinus Icon. 46, 47. Circa Moflong. Arbuscula, juniores 

 tantum formosi, seniores always scraggy. Circa Nungklow, prae- 

 cipue in descensum. Arbor 50-60 pedalis trunco stricto, ramulis 

 aspeiis foliorum cicatricibus, basi novellorum squamatis, squamis 

 reflexis, foliis ternatis, (vaginis membranaceis,) acerosis supra 

 planis, infra convexis, spithamaeis ; infimis sub-pendulis, summis 

 sub-ascendentibus ; intermediis nutante cernuis. Conis sessili- 

 bus, ovatis, curvatis. Amentis masculis brevibus, vix uncialibus, 

 ascendenti, curvatis ; foeminaeis pedunculos, bracteato-squamatos, 

 terminantibus. 



" Intermedia inter P. longifolia et P. sylvestris cum habitu 

 accedis." 



Through the kindness of Dr. McClelland, I have seen the 

 figures and specimens referred to ; the former, however, repre- 

 sent the leaves as binate, which may be a proof of the identity of 

 the plant with P. sinoisis, which, according to Loudon's Sup- 

 plement, h&s leaves in threes, sometimes in twos. Dr. Falconer, 

 Superintendent H. C. Botanic Garden, has excellent specimens 

 from the mountains of Upper Assam, sent by Major Jenkins. 

 The leaves are filiform, in threes from 5 to 7 inches long, with 

 rather long sheaths. The cones are often in whorls of four, 

 sometimes five ; of a broad ovate form, and with short stalk : 

 they are from 1^ to 2^- inches long, the squamae oblong, obtuse, 

 thickened at the end, but without beak. 



Along with I he above, among Dr. G.'s specimens, is one with 

 binate leaves, 4 or 5 inches long, the sheath short : it is without 

 fruit. In the Residency Garden, Ivathmandoo, Mr. Winter- 

 bottom observed a scrubby looking pine, about 30 feet high, 



