2240
arboretum and fruticetum.
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 1^ in. 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-Ajrin. 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. Tse'da and P. pungens; thespecimen at Dropmore, after being 41 yearsplanted, being upwards of 31 ft. high.
Geography and History. According toPursh, P. rigida 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-