CHAP. CXIII.

coni'ferje. arauca'ria.

243.5

from the parent branch.The general aspect of thearaucaria is most strikingand peculiar, though it un-deniably bears a distant

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family likeness to the pinesof our country. The fruit,placed at the ends of theboughs, are of regularglobular form, as large as a man’s head ; and each consists of beautifully im-bricated scales, that cover the seeds, which are the most important part of thistruly noble tree.” {Comp. Bot.

Mag., 1 . p. 351.) “ The woodof the araucaria is red where ithas been affected by the forestfires; but otherwise it is white,and, towards the centre of thestem, bright yellow. It yieldsto none in hardness and solidi-ty, and might prove valuablefor many uses, if the places ofgrowth of the tree were less in-accessible. For ship-buildingit would be useful; but it ismuch too heavy for masts. Ifa branch be scratched, or thescales of an unripe fruit be bro-ken, a thick milky juice immedi-ately exudes, that soon changesto a yellowish resin, of whichthe smell is agreeable, andwhich is considered by the Chi-lians as possessing such medi-cinal virtues, that it cures themost violent rheumatic head-achs when applied to the spotwhere the pain is felt.” {Ibid.) Of the rate of growth of this tree m its nativecountry very little is stated by travellers It is probably slow, as appears to

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