2352

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART 111.

y L. e. 6 fibre rubro. The common Larch , ivith red or pink Flowers,Hort. Trans., iv. p. 416.—This variety is the most common in ex-tensive plantations of larches. The flowers vary in shade of red orpink, and some of them are more or less mixed with yellow. Thecones are also red, or reddish yellow. The majority of the trees inthe Duke of Athol’s plantations at Dunkeld and Blair have redflowers.

If L. e. 7 fibre albo. Larch from the Tyrol, with white Flowers, Hort.Trans., 1. c.— The leaves of this variety are not different from thoseof the common larch; but the shoots are said to be much stronger jand the cones white, as well as the flowers.

lL.c.8 sibirica ; L. sibirica Fisch .;? L. archangelica Laws. Man. , p. 389.;L. rdssica Sab. in Hort. Soc. Gard.; Pin us L. sibirica Lodd. Cat.The Russian Larch , Hort. Trans., iv. p. 416. — There are trees ofthis variety in the Duke of Athol’s plantations, raised from seedsprocured from Archangel in 1806. The appearance of the tree issaid to be coarser than that of L. e. commu nis: it is of muchslower growth than the larches of the Tyrol; and the leaves comeout so early in spring, that they are liable to be injured by frost.The female catkins do not expand their flowers till some time afterthose of the European larch appear. The cones are like those ofthe American larch. The bark is quite cinereous, and not distinctlyscarred, as in the common larch. This variety, Professor Pallas in-forms us, is found in cold mountainous places, from the Ural Moun-tains northwards, through Siberia and Kamtschatka, to the PacificOcean . It delights in a middle station on the sides of mountains,where it is sheltered from the north, and exposed to the east wind,growing in a gravelly or rocky soil. In valleys and marshes, or onthe very tops of mountains, it never occurs. It extends as farnorth as lat. 68°, where it forms a trailing shrub; but, in the southof Siberia and Russia , it grows to the same height and bulk as theEuropean larch. In the north, it has more the habit of the Ame-rican larch ; but it differs, he adds, from that species very essentially.(FI. Ross., part i. p. 2.) The Siberian hunters of ermines, Gmelinobserves, when their yeast or leaven, which they carry with themto make the acid liquor which they call quass, is spoiled by the coid,scrape off the soft wood, under the bark of the larch, which isvery juicy and sweet; digest it with water over the fire during anhour; make it into dough with their rye meal, which they bury inthe snow; and, after twelve hours, they find it in a state of ferment-ation, and ready for use. Baudrillart states that an officer employedin the management of the Russian woods informed him that shipsof war, of even 120 guns, were built of larch at Archangel ; and, ofcourse, other smaller vessels. In consequence of a similar report,the late Duke of Athol procured seeds from Archangel , which hesowed among his plantations of the common larch. The youngplants grew vigorously at first; but, in the course of afewyears, theywere found very far inferior to the common larch, and, when cutdown, to be of very little value. The Siberian larch was introducedinto England by Messrs. Loddiges, to whom the seed was sent byProfessor Pallas, about the end of the last century. The plant mthe Horticultural Society’s Garden, after being five years planted, is4 ft. high, with a peculiarly stunted appearance.

at i L. c. 9 dahurica; L. dahurica Laws. Man. , p. 389.; the DahurianLarch ; is said to be a stunted, bushy, and irregular-growing tree. } lis a native of Dahuria, and was first introduced into Britain m1827. It is generally propagated by cuttings or layers, which willaccount for its stunted appearance.

*£ L. 10 intermedia ; L. intermedia Lawson, p. 389.; Plnus intermedia Lodd-