28 
TAXODIACEAE 
57 m. high, 8.6 to 57 dm. in diameter, with drooping branchlets; cones 
long-oblong, 4.8 to 9.6 cm. long.—Along the coast, Mendocino Co. n. 
The wood is light, soft, straight-grained and is extensively converted 
into lumber. 
3. PSEUDOTSUGA Carr. 
Trees with linear leaves, distinctly petioled, spreading more or less 
widely. Cones pendulous, maturing the first year. Bracts linear, ex- 
serted beyond the roundish scales, acutely 2-lobed at apex with a long 
slender point in the notch. (Greek pseudos, false, and Japanese tsuga, 
hemlock.) 
1. P. taxifolia Britt. Douglas Fir. Douglas Spruce. Straight tall 
tree 14 to 60 m. high or more; cones 4 to 8.4 cm. long.—Mountain slopes, 
Cal. to B. C. In the lumber trade it is known as “Oregon Pine/’ The 
wood is straight-grained, tough, light for its weight and furnishes one 
of the most important structural timbers in the world for bridges, build¬ 
ings and ships. 
2. P. macrocarpa Mayr. Big-Cone Spruce. Tree 8 to 17 m. high or 
more; cones 9.6 to 18 cm. long.—Mountains of S. Cal. 
4. ABIES Link. Fir 
Tall symetrical trees. Leaves linear, leaving a smooth circular scar 
when they fall. Cones erect, maturing the first autumn, falling to pieces 
on the tree. (The Latin name.) 
1. A. concolor Lindl. & Gord. White Fir. Tree 17 to 57 dm. high; 
young bark whitish, old bark gray or drab, heavily fissured; leaves 
twisted on short petioles; cones oblong, 4.8 to 13 cm. long.—Mountain 
slopes. The wood is soft, light, coarse-grained, fairly strong and is ex¬ 
tensively used for fruit boxes. 
2. A. magnifica Murr. Red Fir. Tree 17 to 57 m. high; old bark dark 
red, roughly fissured; leaves not twisted, sessile; cones broadly oval or 
oblong, 9.6 to 19 cm. long.—Mountain slopes and ridges, Sierra Nevada 
and high North Coast Ranges. The wood is heavy, strong, fine-grained, 
durable, reddish, and is valued for bridges and shaft-timbers. 
TAXODIACEAE. REDWOOD FAMILY 
Trees with linear or awl-shaped alternate leaves. Staminate and ovu¬ 
late catkins on same tree; bracts none. Fruit a woody cone.—Species 13, 
widely scattered over the earth. 
1. SEQUOIA Endl. Redwood 
Tall trees with thick red bark and linear, ovate-lanceolate or triangular- 
acute alternate leaves. Cones maturing the second year. Scales at right 
angles to the axis, cuneate, with a rhomboidal umbilicate apex. (The 
Cherokee Indian, Sequoyah, who invented an alphabet for his tribe.) 
1. S. sempervirens Endl. Redwood. Tree 30 to 85 m. high; leaves 
linear, petioled, 8 to 18 mm. long, spreading in 2 ranks or flat sprays; 
cones ovoid, 1.8 to 2.4 cm. long.—Near the coast, Monterey Co. to sw. 
Ore. The wood is reddish, soft, remarkably straight-grained, light but 
strong, free from resin and is applied to numerous uses in buildings, 
