2240

arboretum and fruticetum.

PART IIT.

Description. The pitch pine,in America, Michaux informsus, varies, according to soiland situation, from 12 ft. or15 ft. to 70 ft. or 80 ft. in height.

“ The buds are always resinous;and its triple leaves vary inlength from ljin. to 7 in., ac-cording to the degree of mois-ture in the soil. The male cat-kins are 1 in. long, straight, andwinged, like those of the pondpine (P. serotina). The size ofthe cones depends on the natureof the soil, and varies from lessthan 1 in. to more than 3 in. inlength; they are of a pyramidalshape, and each scale is pointedwith an acute prickle of about^ in. long. Whenever thesetrees grow in masses, the conesare dispersed singly over thebranches; and they shed theirseeds the first autumn after theyare mature; but, on solitarytrees, the cones are collected ingroups of four, five, or even alarger number, and will remainon the trees closed for severalyears.” ( Michx .) This specieshas a thick, blackish, deeply fur-rowed bark. It is remarkablefor the number of its branches,which occupy two thirds of itstrunk, and render its wood ex-tremely knotty. The concen-tric circles are widely distant;and three fourths of the woodof the larger trees consists of sap wood. On mountains and gravelly lands, thewood is compact, heavy, and surcharged with resin; whence is derived thename of pitch pine. In swamps, on the con-trary, it is light, soft, and composed almostwholly of sap wood; whence it is called thesap pine. In British gardens, the tree is of asrapid growth as P. Pae'da and P. pungens ; thespecimen at Dropmore, after being 41 yearsplanted, being upwards of 31 ft. high.

Geography and History. According toPursh, P. rfgida is found on the plains fromNew England to Virginia, growing, in favour-able situations, to a very large tree, and eitherin dry soil, or in very wet low ground. Mi-chaux states that it is found throughout thewhole of the United States, with the exceptionof the maritime part of the Atlantic districts,and the fertile regions west of the AlleghanyMountains; but most abundantly where thesoil is meagre. The most northern points atwhich Michaux observed it were, the vicinityof Brunswick, in the district of Maine; and Bur-