106 



PINACEiE. 



"beautiful a Pine. I retain it, however, as this tree is now generally 

 known by this name. It is a native of China, and one of the many 

 good things which Mr. Tortune sent home from that country. Coming 

 as it does from the most north-western hills, most desolate districts and 

 coldest climates of the celestial empire, it will doubtless prove to be 

 sufficiently hardy in this country, for it has stood unprotected with us 

 in the south of England these past half-dozen years. It is a most 

 peculiarly distinct Pine, inasmuch, as in a young state, its bark as 

 much resembles the skin of a pea as the bark of a Pine. As the 

 plants increase in age the thin outer epidermis peels off in silken-like 

 scales, leaving the branch, stems, and trunks with a greyish-white 

 surface. Another peculiar characteristic of this Pine is, that, in its 

 annual production of young growths, its new leaves are at first furnished 

 with perfectly formed sheaths, which soon fall off, leaving the leaves 

 sheathless, as the outer bark does the branch, stems, and trunk. It is 

 also affirmed by Eastern travellers, that this Pine produces no leading 

 or continuous main stem, but several branch stems, not horizontal as in 

 other Pines, but as it were all rushing straight up to a great height and 

 pollard-like ; only that they all grow straight up instead of horizontal ; 

 ultimately forming a many stemmed top to the tree. This latter state- 

 ment is not borne out, however, by young plants of it in this country ; 

 nor did I ever endorse such a bill, but business-like dishonoured it as 

 a spurious and illegal tender drawn upon the Bank of Eiction, 

 (Limited,) as I did a few years ago one of the same kind entitled Picea 

 Regiiice Amalice : and I may here remark, that all such hydra-pines 

 are manufactured by man's arts from nature's staples or raw materials ; 

 any practical cultivator by resorting to artificial modes, could produce 

 a Pine Copse as he now does an Oak, Ash, or Hazel one ; differing 

 only in the process and periods of cutting and pruning. Its leaves are 

 from one-and-a-half to three inches long, stiff, convex, and keeled ; 

 thickly set on the branches ; frequently in bundles at the tips, and 

 disposed in whorls ; it is what is termed a three-leaved Pine : and its 

 cones are somewhat ovate in form, from two to three inches long, and 

 about half as broad as long, obtuse-pointed, and rounded at base. It 

 attains heights of from twenty-five to fifty feet ; and will be found 

 useful for adding number and variety to our pinetums and arboretums ; 

 but it is of no value as a timber tree. 



PiNUS CaNARIENSIS : The Canary Islands Pine. 



This Pine was introduced into this country in I8I0. It attains 

 heights of from fifty to seventy feet, with numerous and irregularly 



