480 
P I N U S. 
ner part'exudes a dry reddifii gnra, rather lefs glutinous 
than gum arabic, having a flight tafte of refin, but wholly 
foluble in water. It is ufed in medicine; and the native 
mountaineers chew it to fallen their teeth, as an antifcor- 
butic, and as a fubftance highly nutritive; they alfo ufe 
it as a glue to fallen their bows, &c. 
The Siberian hunters of ermines, when the ferment, or 
yeaft, which they carry with them to make the acid li¬ 
quor they call qitajs, is fpoiled by the cold, fcrape off the 
albumen or half-formed wood between the bark and the 
wood of the larch, which is very juicy and fweet, digell 
it with water over the fire during an hour, mix it with 
their rye-meal, bury the dough in the fnow, and after 
twelve hours find the ferment ready prepared in the fubfid- 
ing feces. 
Old larches produce a fungus, which is defcribed very 
much at large.by Jacquin, in the firll volume of his Mif- 
cellanea, under the name of Boletus la riels. It is alfo 
called Agaricus purgans: and is ufed in the northern 
countries as an emetic in intermitting fevers. The Tun- 
gufes dye the hair of the rein-deer with this fungus and 
the roots of gallium, of a very deep red colour; whence 
perhaps it may be of fome ufe in dyeing. The body of 
this fungus is faponaceous, and is ufed by the women in 
fome parts of Siberia, to wafh themfelves, and even their 
linen. It was celebrated formerly, but is now defervedly 
fallen into total difufe, as a.medicine. 
j8. Pintis pendula, the black larch-tree ; the tamarack 
of hackmatack of the Americans : leaves tufted, decidu¬ 
ous; cones oblong; the margins of their feales indexed ; 
fcal.es of the female catkin fiddle-lhaped, concealed in the 
full-grown cone. Found in low cedar fwamps, from Ca¬ 
nada to New Jerfey, flowering in April and May. It was 
firll raifed in England by the celebrated Peter Collinfon, 
vvhofe original tree, one of the treafures of the Mill-hill 
garden, was cut'down about the year 1800, to make a rail, 
by its fapient pofifeffor. The abundance of feeds which 
it annually produced might have been a far more lading 
fource of profit, as few exotic trees are more worthy of 
general cultivation. The wood is at lead equal to the 
European larch, and the bark excellent for tanning. 
The habit and foliage refemble the preceding, but the 
female catkins are reprefented by Mr. Lambert of a more 
crimfon hue. The fiddle-fhaped pointed lip of each of 
their feales is fonror five times as big as the orbicular one, 
but never increafes after the flowering period ; fo that it 
becomes entirely concealed, in the full-grown cones, by 
the enlarged orbicular lips that conflitute the proper 
feales of the cones, and twice exceed it in length. This 
circumfiance did not efcape the excellent Solander, who 
fird defcribed the prefent fpecies from Mr. Collinfon’s 
garden. The fructification for t,he mod part agrees with 
P. larix, infomuch that it is difficult to find fpecific dif- 
tinctiohs. The cones however are fmaller, more cylin¬ 
drical, with rather fewer feales, whole edges are (lightly 
indexed ; and this, added to the want of the pointed pro¬ 
minences feen in the foregoing, give the full-grown dark 
purple cones a peculiar neatnels and fmoothnefs of appear¬ 
ance. 
19. Pinus mierocarpa, the red larch-tree: leaves tufted, 
deciduous; cones roundifli, of a few feales; their margins 
indexed; leales of the female catkin oval, concealed in 
the full-grown cone. Found about Hudfon’s Bay, and 
on the high mountains of New York and Pennfylvania, 
flowering in May. (Purfii.) Michaux, it feems, has con¬ 
founded this with the lad, as did Willdenow in his valu¬ 
able German walk on hardy trees and flirubs, publiflied 
at Berlin in 1796. It is fimilar to P. pendula in general 
appearance, but the leaves are rather fmaller, and the cones 
confiderably fo, being rounder and compofed of much 
fewer feales. The male flowers are more fnort and tufted, 
their antherae fcarcely projecting beyond the braCtes. 
The pointed lip of each fcale of the female catkin affords 
the moll clear diilinCtion,being elliptical, not fiddle-fhaped. 
Tile copious crimfon cones, fully grown but not ripe, 
make a beautiful appearance in fummer. Such was the 
(late of the tree of this fpecies, which Mr. Lambert, in 
company with Dr. Smith, found unprotected in the middle 
of a pafture at Whitton near Hounflow, where it had 
been planted by John duke of Argyle. It had however 
efcaped injury, and was immediately fecured from farther 
danger. Both thele American larches are now in culti¬ 
vation amongft the nurferymen, and deferve the attention 
of planters. 
20. Pinus cedrus, the cedar of Lebanon : leaves fafei- 
cled, acute. That noble tree, the Cedar of Lebanon, has 
a general linking character of growth fo peculiar to itfelf, 
that no other tree can poffibly be raiftaken for it. 
“ The fturdy arms,” fays Evelyn, “grow in time fo 
weighty, as often to bend the very Hem and main fhafr. 
The leaves much refemble thofe of the larch ; but are 
fomewhat longer and clofer fet, ereCt, and perpetually 
green, which thofe of the larch are not; but hanging 
down, dropping off, and deferring the tree in winter. 
The cones are tacked and ranged between the branch- 
leaves, in fuch order, as nothing appears more curious 
and artificial, and at a little diltance exceedingly beauti¬ 
ful : thefe cones have the bafes rounder, Ihorter, or rather 
thicker, and with blunter points, the whole circumzoned, 
as it were, with pretty broad thick feales, which adhere 
together in exaCt feries to the very fummit, where they 
are fomewhat fmaller; but the entire lorication fmoother 
couched than thofe of the firs : within thefe repofitories, 
under the feales, nellle the fraall nutting feeds, of a pear- 
Ihape.” Silva, p.155. Thefe cones grow upon the upper 
part of the branches, and Hand ereCt, having a llrong 
woody central ftyle, by which they are firmly annexed to 
the branch, fo as with difficulty to be taken off; which 
central Ityle remains upon the branch after the cone is 
fallen to pieces ; for it never drops off whole, as thofe of 
the pines do. 
Many wonderful properties are aferibed to the wood 
of this celebrated tree, fuch as its refilling putrefaction, 
dellroying noxious infeCts, continuing a thoufand or two 
thoufand years found, yielding an oil famous for preferv- 
ing books and writings, purifying the air by its effluvia, 
inlpiring worlhippers with foiemn awe, when ufed in 
vvainfeotting churches or chapels, &c. &c. 
Touching the diuturnity of this material, fays Mr. 
Evelyn, ’tis recorded, that in the temple of Apollo Utica, 
there was found timber of two thoufand years old ; and 
at Sagunti in Spain, a beam in an oratory confecrated to 
Diana, which was brought to Zant, two centuries before 
the deftruCtion of Troy : that Seloftris built a veffel of 
cedar of 280 cubits: and the (latueof the goddefs in the 
famous Ephefine temple, was laid to be of this material, 
as was moll cf the timber-work of that glorious (truCture. 
In the relation of the properties afligned to this tree, 
there is much vulgar error, and confufion of the cedar of 
Lebanon with other trees called cedars; and, as to the 
materials ufed in the heathen temples, it is very uncer¬ 
tain what they were. But we have better authority than 
that of Pliny, that this was the fpecies of timber em¬ 
ployed in building the fumptuous temple and palace of 
Solomon at Jerulalem. “Now therefore command thou, 
faid Solomon to Hiram, that they hew me cedar-trees 
out of Lebanon. I will do all thy defire, replied Hiram, 
concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of 
fir. And Solomon raifed a levy of thirty thoufand men 
out of ali Ifrael; and he fent them to Lebanon, ten 
thoufand a month, by courfes : and he had threefcore 
and ten thoufand that bare burdens, and fourfeore tiiou- 
fand hewers in the mountains. And he covered the 
temple with beams and boards of cedar. And he built 
chambers againft it, which relied on the houfe with 
timber of cedar. And the cedar of the houfe within was 
carved with knops and open flowers -. ail was cedar, there 
was no Hone feen. And he built the inner court with 
three rows of hewed (tone, and a row of cedar beams. 
Solomon’s houfe alio of the torefl of Lebanon was covered 
with 
7 
