2 
PINETUM BRITANNICUM. 
Fig. 8. 
broadly lanceolate fcales, two or three rows deep (which are perfiftent for at leal! three years); the margin of 
the fcales is laciniated. Leaves [fig. 3] perfiftent for two years, pale yellowifh-green when frefh, brownifh- 
green when older, rigid, firm, fhort, and fhining, fubtetragonal, obtufely pointed, fimilar to thofe of the 
Common Spruce, but only one-half or quarter their fize, fpirally difpofed, and thickly covering the whole 
branchlet; with about feven ftomata on each fide of the projecting middle, on the fide which correfponds 
with the upper face, that is, the face which lies next the branch when the leaf 
is in its natural pofition, adpreffed to it [fig. 4], and with about three ftomata 
on each fide of the middle on the other face [fig. 5]. Male catkins, fhewn in 
fig. 1, rather numerous, four to fix on a twig, frnall, from a quarter to half an 
inch in length, pale-fawn coloured. Anthers [figs. 6, 7, and 8] not 
very numerous, furmounted by a circular creft with laciniated mar¬ 
gins, bilocular, the loculi elongate, wideft at the top. Cones pen¬ 
dent [fig. 9], from two to three inches in length, from one-half to 
three-quarters of an inch in breadth, fubcylindrical, elongate-pyriform, 
tapering gradually to a point; fcales [fee fig. 11 of 
natural fize, and fig. 10 magnified] with the expofed margin rounded or Rightly acute, 
and its edge fcarcely denticulated ; brafils [fig. 12, magnified] frnall, fomewhat pentagonally 
fhaped, the apex truncate, the margins ftrongly laciniated or irregularly toothed and 
fiffured. Seeds [fig. 13] frnall, wing of the feed broad, and rounded at the apex, as 
broad at its broadeft part as from the top of the feed to the apex of the wing. 
Fig. 9. 
Fig. 10. 
Fig. 11. Fig. 12. 
Fig- 13- 
Defcription .—The tree is large and lofty. Tournefort, fpeaking of the Convent of St John, which 
is fituated about 25 miles to the fouth-eaft of Trebizond, fays, “It is furrouncled by forefts which are not 
furpaffed by thofe in the Alps. The trees around it confift of Beeches, Oaks, Limes, Allies, and Lirs, 
d'une hauteur prodigieusel' And he relates a rather ftriking inftance of their climenfions in the account 
which he gives of the manner in which accefs is obtained to the Convent. “ The dwelling of the 
monks,” fays he, “ is only built of wood, and wholly again!! a fcarped rock, at the bottom of the moft 
beautiful folitude in the world. . . . They afcend to the houfe by a very rude ftaircafe of a fingular 
conftrudlion. It is compofed of two trunks of Lir-trees as long as the mails of a- Ihip, leaning again!! 
the wall, and Hoped in the fame way as a ladder. In place of planks, or the Heps which are ufually 
placed acrofs the ladder, they have here cut a fucceffion of Heps with an axe, and they have placed 
there, very neceffarily, perches on the fides to ferve as a protection ; for I defy the moft fkilful rope- 
dancers to climb up there without this affiftance. Our head turned feveral times as we defcended, and 
but for this fupport we fhould have broken our necks. It is not poffible that the firft men could ever 
have made a fimpler ladder. One has only to look at it to form fome idea of the birth of the world. 
The branches feather to the ground, and are exceedingly compafit and plentiful.” 
Geographical Dijlribution. —Tournefort, as above mentioned, found this fpecies growing about 25 
miles to the fouth-eaft of Trebizond. He there found it pretty high up the mountains. He fays, 
“ After having vifited the environs of the Convent, where there are plants which interefted us in the 
moft agreeable manner, we afcended to the moft elevated places, which the fnow had only left a few 
days previoully, and where we faw others which were yet loaded with it. The people of the country 
call the common Lirs irevicos, which differ in nothing from thofe which grow on the Alps and the Pyre¬ 
nees ; but they have preferved the name iXar-rj for another fine fpecies, which I had not previoully feen 
except around this Monaftery.” Steven records it as growing on the fummits of the Imeritian Moun¬ 
tains in Upper Mingrelia, alfo between Guriel and the Adfcharienfan Mountains. Lambert gives 
figures of the details of fpecimens which he had received from China and the neighbourhood of Tiflis, 
and which he thought belonged to this fpecies; but it has been doubted whether either of thefe truly 
belong 
