CHAP. CXIII.

coni'fera:. pi'nus.

2227

the cones increase rapidly in size ;the scales lose their reddish tinge,and become of a beautiful green,the point alone remaining red;and at last, about the end of thethird year, they attain maturity.

At this period, the cones areabout 4 in. long, and 3 in. in dia-meter, and they have assumed ageneral reddish hue. The con-vex part of the scales forms adepressed pyramid, with roundedangles, the summit of which isumbilical. Each scale is hollowat its base ; and in its interior aretwo cavities, each containing aseed much larger than that of anyother kind of European pine, butthe wing of which is, on the con-trary, much shorter. The lig-neous shell which envelopes thekernel is hard and difficult to break in the common kind, but in the varietyP. P. 2 fragilis it is tender, and easily broken by the fingers. In both, thekernel is white, sweet, and agreeable to the taste. The taproot of the stonepine is nearly as strong as that of P. Pinas-ter; and, like that species, the trees, whentransplanted, generally lean to one side, fromthe head not being correctly balanced.

Hence, in full-grown trees of the stonepine, there is often a similar curvature atthe base of the trunk, to that of the pi-naster, which has been already mentionedand accounted for, p. 2218. The palmateform of the cotyledons of the genus Pinus is particularly conspicuous in those of P.

Pinea. When one of the ripe kernels issplit in two, the cotyledons separate, so asto represent roughly the form of a hand ;and this,in some parts of France , the countrypeople call la main de Dieu, and believe tobe a remedy in cases of intermittent fever, ifswallowed in uneven numbers, such as 3, 3,or 7. In Britain , the stone pine is seldomseen in any other character than that of alarge bush, though there are specimens be-tween 30 ft. and 40 ft. high. The rate ofgrowth is slow, seldom exceeding 6 ft. or 8 ft. inthe Horticultural Society’s Garden, figured in

the height of 11 ft. in 10 years; and oneat Dropmore, 23 ft. in 22 years. Theduration of the tree is much greater than that of the pinaster, and thetimber is whiter and somewhat more durable. In the climate of London , treesof from 15 to 20 years’ growth produce cones.

Geography. The stone pine is a native of Italy, Spain, Greece , the coastof Barbary, and probably some parts of Asia . Dr. Sibthorp found it abun-dant in the sandy plains of Elis, whence the nuts are exported for eating, andwhere the timber is often used for ship-building. It is also found wild in thesouth of France ; but it appears to be rather a doubtful native there, as itnever forms forests, and very rarely woods of any considerable extent; andthe trees are not only either isolated or thinly scattered, but are also generally

7 K 3

2109

ten years. The plant inour last Volume, attained