sliorter, and at the distance of four or five feet from 

 the first ; the others decrease in length in proportion 

 as they approach the top, which terminates in a point. 

 The extremities of all these branches incline perpen- 

 dicularly, and give to the tree the form of a quad- 

 rangular pyramid. This pyramidal shape becomes 

 still more perfect from the number of little boughs 

 which project laterally from the principal branches in 

 a cruciform manner, decreasing gradually from the 

 common axis. The principal branches as well aü 

 the boughs, are set round with stiff leaves enchased 

 in each other, of about three inches long by one 

 broad; these are heart-shaped, convex above, very 

 shining, and so hard that they appear like wood. 

 The flower is amentaceous or conical, and perfectly 

 resembles that of the pine ; the fruit is of the size of 

 a man's head; it is smooth, spherical, ligneous, sus- 

 pended to a very short pedicle, and divided within 

 by thin shells into several cells, which contain the 

 kernels in pairs ; the kernels are about two inches in 

 length and as large as the little finger, of a conical 

 form, a transparent white, and covered with a pelli- 

 cle like that of the chesnut, which they resemble in 

 taste, and, though rather harder, are eaten in the 

 same manner. The gum exudes through the bark, 

 is yellowish, and its odour very pleasant.* 



* This is the dornbetj of Chili of M. de la Mark. This tree is 

 Oot a pine, as M. Molina supposes ; it is a new genus, well defined 

 by its fructification, and clearly distinguishable from any of those 

 that are known. In fact, besides its flowers being diœcial, they 

 have this very singular discrimination, that they grov/ upon catkins, 

 •with no other pericarpiuni than what is jjroduced by the genera- 

 tive ors^ans — the forked appendages that terminate tlie props of 



