2244

ARBORETUM AND ERUTI CETUM.

PART III.

Spec. Char., §c. Leaves three in a sheath, much longer than the cones,flexible, tortuous, with short sheaths; crest of the anthers rounded, entire.Cones ovate, reflexed, witli the apicesof the scales flattened, with a raisedprocess in the middle, terminating ina conical, minute, recurved spine,slightly quadrangular. Buds, in Dou-glas’s specimen, Jin. long and fin.broad; cylindrical, with straight sides,rounded like a dome at the extremity,but with a prominent blunt point; darkbrown, and covered with resin. Buds,on the living tree in the HorticulturalSociety’s Garden (see fig. 2132.), fromlin. to 1-Jin. long, and from Jin. toljin. broad; smooth, cylindrical, with along point;reddish brown, and covered with a fine white bloom,consisting of fine particles of resin, surrounded bytwo or more smaller buds. Leaves disposed in pa-rallel spirals; in Douglas’s specimen (see fig. 2133.),from 9 in. to 11 in. long; 3 in a sheath, which is fromJin. to 1 in. in length, with numerous fine rings;scales of the leaves persistent on the wood, even oftwo years’ or three years’ growth. Leaves, on theliving plant, from 7 in. to 9 in. long. The cone (seefig. 2134.), in Douglas’s specimen, is deformed, and

very imperfectlydeveloped; it isonly 3 in. long, andfin. broad. Thescales are termi-nated in flattenedprocesses, scarcelyribbed in any direc-tion. In the centreof the process is aprotuberance, largein proportion to

the scale, which terminates in a sharpprickle, pointing outwards. Scale 1 in.long, and | in. broad; dark brown. Seed- 5 ^-in. long, and Jin. broad; dark brown,with the wing nearly 1 in. in length, andJin. in breadth; wings of a yellowishbrown. The following description, givenin Lawson’s Manual, of a young tree ofP. ponderosa, taken from the specimengrowing in the Caledonian HorticulturalSociety’sGarden, which, in 1837, was 15 ft.high, is at once correct and character-istic : — “ In its habit of growth, P. pon-derosa seems to surpass all others of the genus for strength and luxuriance.The branches are few, regularly verticillated, horizontal, and seem inclined toassume a pendulous or drooping habit as the tree becomes old ; central or topshoot often more than an inch in diameter, and of proportionable length.Buds large, and free from resin. Leaves thickly set, 9 in. to 1 ft. or 1 ft. 2 in.in length ; thick, rigid, and nearly straight; rounded on the exterior, andhaving a longitudinal prominent rib, together with minute channels, on the in-

2133