THE STONE PINE. 



375 



warm and reddish, Las a good effect ; and it ob- 

 tains a kind of roughness by peeling off in patches. 

 The foliage of the Stone Pine is as beautiful as 

 the stem. Its colour is a deep warm green ; and 

 its form, instead of breaking into acute angles, 

 like many of the Pine race, is moulded into a flow- 

 ing line by an assemblage of small masses. As 

 age comes on, its round clump-head becomes more 

 flat, spreading itself into a canopy, which is a form 

 equally becoming." The cones are larger than 

 those of the Pinaster, of a lighter colour, and more 

 orbicular ;* the nuts are three quarters of an inch 

 in length, and furnished with a very short wing. 

 The seeds, after being detached from their strong 

 outer shell, are commonly sold in large quantities 

 all the winter in Florence, Pisa, and other places 

 within reach of the extensive forests of this Pine, 

 under the name of Pinocchi. They are about the 

 same size as the common hazel-nut, only much 

 more oblong, and not very unlike them in taste, 

 except that they have a slight and not disagree- 

 able resinous flavour. Remains of the kernels 

 were found among the domestic stores during the 

 excavations at Pompeii. Sir George Staunton 

 also informs us that they are much prized by the 

 Chinese. In Italy the empty cones, which are 

 highly inflammable, are commonly used for light- 

 ing flres. 



* See page 325. 



