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PINACE^. 



AraUGARIA ImbrIGATA: The Imbricated Araucaria. 



So named from the disposition of its noble and ample foliage. It is 

 the prototype of the large or broad-leaved Araucarias. 



Leaves, in whorls of from six to nine in number, ovate-lanceolate, 

 spiral, rigid, straight, concave, smooth, polished, very sharp-pointed, 

 and of a shining, deep, rich green in colour : from one-half to two inches 

 long, minus footstalks, and persistent, remaining on the tree for many 

 years ; most beautifully and regularly imbricated on the branch stems, 

 and in texture tough and gristly. 



Cones, large, globular, dark brown in colour; from six to nine 

 inches broad, and nearly as long as broad, having numerous scales, 

 which are wedge-shaped, curved at the ends, and when ripe deciduous; 

 seeds large, somewhat rhomboid in form, from one to two inches long, 

 having a long tapering tail ; each cone produces from two hundred to 

 three hundred seeds, which generally are found in twos under each scale. 



This most remarkable pine is, in so far as beauty or grandeur is 

 concerned, if not king of the pines, at least one of the greatest nobles 

 of Pinacese. If I might use a suggestive and not inapplicable com- 

 parison, I would say that in majesty and mien it as far transcends its 

 congeners in the vegetable kingdom as man does his siniial caricatures 

 in the animal kingdom. Unlike all its kindred in this section, whether 

 small or broad-leaved, it is perfectly hardy, sturdy, good in constitution, 

 and quite at home in Albion's Isles and climes ; not capricious as to 

 soil or situation, but rather accommodating; doing well in most kinds 

 of soil if in a sweet and healthy condition, unless, indeed, in such as 

 are marshy, sour, wet, or stagnant. ^Nature evidently intended this 

 tree for a country life, inasmuch as we seldom see a perfectly healthy, 

 rich-coloured, massy-foliaged, clean and shining-faced specimen of it in 

 towns or cities, or where there is a smoky or impure atmosphere. It 

 is a native of the Andes of Southern Chili, where the Araucano 

 Indians call it Peliuen or " Monkey Puzzle Pine," as these animals are 

 prevented from climbing the trees by the branches being so thickly 

 clothed with the sharp-pointed and rigid leaves. The natives of Chili 

 use the seed-kernels as food, fresh, roasted, and boiled; they are also 

 ground into flour, and a spirituous liquor is distilled from the seeds, all 

 of which staples or manufactures are not only consumed by themselves, 

 but are likewise sent to Yaldivia and Valparaiso. It attains heights 

 of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet, and its wood is 

 tolerably good, being hard, fibrous, easily wrought, capable of receiving 

 a good polish, comparatively durable ; and a creamy-white in colour, 



