PINUS PINASTER. 

 The Cluster Pine, or Pinaster. 



The Pinaster is one of the most extensive!}^ 

 planted, in this country, of all the foreign Pines. 

 In its younger stage it is a pyramidal bushy 

 tree, well marked by its erect growth and regular 

 whorls of ascending branches from a foot to a foot 

 and a half apart, by its tufts of long deep-green 

 leaves, and by its clusters of large cones, which 

 are perfected on very young trees. From the 

 star-like arrangement of these cones it derives its 

 name of Pin -aster, — Star Pine. The clusters are 

 situated beneath the whorls or tiers of branches, 

 and contain from four to a dozen cones ; but it is 

 far from uncommon to see as many as twenty or 

 thirty in a mass, the lowermost being forced, by 

 the pressure of those above, to point downwards. 

 They often remain attached to the tree many 

 years after they have attained maturity, and in- 

 deed may sometimes be seen, covered with grey 

 lichen, adhering to the main stem, on which, while 

 it was a mere twig, they were produced a dozen 

 years before. For the first five and twenty years 

 of its growth, the age of the Pinaster may be 

 discovered with tolerable accuracy from observing 

 the number of tiers formed by its branches, each 

 interval between two tiers being the result of a 

 year's growth. As the tree grows older, the lower 



