PINE TREE 
343 
Leaves. — The leaves, called needles, are long, slender, 
and flattened on one side. They grow in bundles of two, 
three, four, or five needles, 
according to the kind of 
pine. The leaves, which 
are borne but once in a 
place, remain on the tree 
from two to five years 
and then fall off, leaving 
the branches bare except 
near the ends. 
Roots. — The roots of 
% 
the pine vary according to 
the kind of pine and ac¬ 
cording to the soil, but 
they are always extensive. 
Seed-producing Organs. — Early in the spring, two kinds 
of strobili are found on the new shoots which grow from the 
terminal buds. One kind looks like short catkins, and they 
are borne in clusters near 
the base of the shoot. 
They consist of scales ar¬ 
ranged spirally around 
the central axis. Each 
scale bears two pollen 
sacs. These are the 
staminate strobili. They 
wither soon after shed¬ 
ding their pollen, al¬ 
though they may remain 
on the tree for a year. 
The other kind of strobi- 
lus is short and thick, and is found at the tip of the shoot 
or on the side of the shoot near the tip. This is the fe¬ 
male strobilus or carpellate cone, which like the staminate 
Figure 318. — Male Strobili. 
A, leaves of previous year; B, male 
strobili; C, new leaves. 
Figure 317. —Young Female Strobilus. 
A , strobilus; B, new leaves; C, leaves of 
previous year. 
