2*400

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

Engravings. Michx. N. Amer. Syl.,3. t. 153.; Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., t. 50. ; and the plate of this tree inour last Volume.

Spec. Char., §c. Leaves short. Cones small, ovate-roundish, with few scales.( Michaux .) Leaves from J in. to J in. long. Cones from \ in. to f in. long, andfrom fin. to fin. broad. Atree, with a slender trunk, and attaining, in Ame-rica, as great a height as the European larch does in Europe. Introducedin 1739, and flowering in May. None of the varieties of this species can be atall compared with the European larch, in point of utility, or even ornament.

Varieties.

S L. a. 1 rubra ; L. microcarpa Laws. Man., p. 388.; Plnus microcarpaPursA FI. Amer., Sept., p. 645., Lodd. Cat. ; E'pinette rouge, Canada.The small red-coned American Larch. — The following charactersof this variety are given in Lawson’s Manual: — “ Tree, medium-sized, upright, of a slender, conical, or pyramidal habit of growth, butnot so much so as in L. a. pendula. Branches horizontal, or slightlypendulous, except the upper, which are rather aspiring; branchletsalso pendulous, and, together with the branches, more numerous anddense than those of L. a. pendula. Bark smoothish, of a brownishgrey, and light brown on the young twigs. Leaves of a vivid grassygreen, and shorter and narrower than those of L. europas'a. Catkinsvery similar to those of the L. a. pendula; but the bracteae of thefemale or young cones are of a more regular oval shape. Ripe conesabout 4 in. in length, easily detached from the branches, of an oblongshape; scales also somewhat oblong or oval, light brown, slightlyincurved, and rougher, or more distinctly striated, than those of theblack larch. Seeds also shorter, or more rounded, and, together withthe alse, of a lighter brown.” A native of North America. Intro-duced in 1760, and flowering in April. {Laws. Man.,\>. 388.) Thereare trees of this variety in the Duke of Athol’s plantations, which,in 1820, were 50 years old, and did not contain a third part of thetimber of the common larch of the same age. The wood, however,is so ponderous, that it will scarcely swim in water,i L. a. 2 pendula ; L. pendula Laws. Man., p. 387.; 7 J lnus pendula Ait.Hort. Kew., ed. 1., iii. p. 369., Pursh FI. Amer. Sept., ii. p. 645., Willd.Saumz., p. 215., Lamb. Pin., e d. 2., t. 49.; P. intermedia Du HoiHarbk., ii. p. ] 15., Wang. Beit., p. 42., Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836 ; P. La-ri x nigra Marsh. Arb. Amer., p.203.; zl'bies pendula Poir. Diet., p.514.,N. Du Ham., v. p. 288.; Tamarack, Amer. The black pendulous-branched American Larch. — According to Lawson, this is a “ tree ofmediumsize, slender, and generally bendingtowardsthetop. Branchesverticillate,few,remote, and pendulous; branchlets also thin, and morependulous than the branches. Bark smooth, and very dark-coloured ;that on the youngest twigs of a dark purplish colour, inclining togrey. Leaves like those of the common larch in shape, but ratherlonger, darker in colour, and arising from shorter and much darker-coloured buds or sheaths. Male and female catkins small and short;the latter generally tinged with reddish purple. Cones, when ripe,easily detached from the branches, generally under f in. in length ;scales round, or slightly approaching to an oval shape, smoothish, ofa dark brown colour, few, loose, and slightly incurved on the mar-gins ; bracteae much shorter than the scales, of a somewhat lyrateshape; w'aved on the margins, and tipped with a short, soft, acutepoint. Seed considerably smaller than that of L. europae'a, and of anoblong shape ; alas, or wings, of a brownish-purple colour. Native ofNorth America. Introduced into Britain in 1739. The L. a. pendulagrows only in the colder parts of North America, being entirely con-fined to the northward of 40° of latitude; and is found in greatestabundance in mountainous parts, on rather moist and inferior soils.The timber of L. a. pendula is of a darkish brown colour, waved, verytough, durable, and, where it is plentiful, preferred, for general pur-