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2197

ticultural Society's Garden, in. long
and in. broad; conical, with straight
sides, and pointed. (Fig. 2197.) Leaves
rather more than 6 in. long. Cone 9 in.
long, and 2 in. broad, with a footstalk
1 in. long; scale 1 in. long, and 14 in.
broad. Seeds in. long, and 3 in.
broad; with the wing, 14 in. long, and
in. broad. A native of Nepal, on
mountains. Introduced in 1823.

Description. A tall, handsome, pyramidal tree, attaining the height of from 90 ft. to 120 ft. Branches numerous, ascending, divided, disposed in whorls. Bark entire, smooth, soft, pale grey. Wood white, abounding in a liquid resin. Leaves in fives, very long, slender, triquetrous, loose; glaucous green, pli

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able; 5 in. to 7 in. long, roughish on the angles from small teeth; furnished at the apex with a small callous mucro, crowded on the branches, particularly towards the apexes; bicanaliculate above, flat beneath; sheaths about in. long, caducous, imbricated with numerous, linear-oblong, brown, membranaceous scales. Catkins terminal, with numerous membranaceous brown scales at the base; male ovate, short, obtuse, sessile, dense, collected into a head about 3 lines long, and 1 in. thick. Stamens monadelphous. Anthers very short roundish, opening below

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longitudinally, filled with sulphur-coloured pollen; crest small, roundish, simple, membranaceous; dark-brown, fringed and torn on the margin; female oblong, cylindrical, in threes or fours, erect, when young pedunculate; scales broad, roundish, imbricated inwards, coriaceous, thick, margined, smooth. Cones 3 or 4 together, cylindrical, pedunculate, naked, smooth; 6 in. long, pendulous when ripe, 2 in. in diameter, somewhat attenuated towards the apex; scales broad, wedge-shaped, coriaceous, thick, closely imbricated, smooth; light brown; apiculate above, with a short, thick, obtuse, dark brown mucro. Seeds ovate, compressed on both sides; testa

bony, black, marked with grey spots; wing oblong-obtuse, membranaceous, ferruginous, somewhat cimeter-shaped, reticulate. (Lamb.) P. excélsa, Mr. Lambert observes, approaches so near in habit, and in the shape of its cones, to P. Stròbus, that, were it not for the simple, round, membranaceous crest of the anthers, it would be almost impossible to distinguish them specifically. The leaves are longer than in P. Stròbus, and the cones are thicker. Dr.

Royle makes a similar remark as to the resemblance of this tree to P. Stròbus, and adds "that it is remarkable for its drooping branches, whence it is frequently called the "weeping fir," by travellers in the Himalayas. It is found in company with the deodar cedar at Narainhetty, in Nepal, and at Simla, Theog, &c., and in the Bhotea Pergunnahs of Kamaon. Dr. Wallich mentions a variety, if not a species, still nearer to P. Stròbus, at Bainpa and Toka, in Nepal. (Royle Illust.) The rate of growth of this tree, in the climate of London, appears to be nearly the same as that of P. Stròbus. A plant in the Horticultural Society's Garden, of which fig. 2202. is a portrait, 6 years planted, was, in 1837, 12 ft. high; one at Dropmore, of which fig. 2201. is a portrait, the same age and 10 ft. high, has produced a cone; and one in the Kinnoul Nursery, in the neighbourhood of Perth, was, in 1836, 15 ft. high. P. excélsa is frequent both in Upper Nepal and Bothsam. In the latter country, its timber is preferred by the inhabitants to that of every other pine. It yields in great quantities a 2201

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pure and limpid turpentine, by the slightest incision. The scales of the cone also exhibit turpentine, see fig. 2200. to the natural size. The species was introduced into England by Dr. Wallich about 1827; and several plants were raised by Mr. Lambert at Boyton, and in the Horticultural Society's Garden, in that year. Some appear, according to Mr. Lawson, to have been raised, also, in the Glasgow Botanic Garden. Plants, which are rather rare in the London nurseries, are 21s. each.

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Identification. Dougl. in Lin, Trans., 15. p. 500.; Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., 1. t. 34.; Lawson's Manual, p. 361.; Lodd. Cat., ed. 1836.

Engravings. Lamb. Pin., ed. 2., t. 34.; our fig. 2206., to our usual scale; and figs. 2203. to 2205., of the natural size; the cone and scale from Douglas's specimens in the Horticultural Society's herbarium, and the buds and leaves from the tree in the Horticultural Society's Garden.

Spec. Char., &c. Leaves in fives, rigid, roughish; sheaths very short. Cones thick, very long, cylindrical; scales loose, roundish. (Douglas.) Buds, in the specimen from the Horticultural Socie

ty's Garden, in. long, and in. broad; roundish, pointed, and with 3 smaller buds. (See fig. 2203.) Leaves 2 in. to 3 in. long; in Douglas's specimens, 4 in. and 5 in. long. Cones from 14 in. to 16 in. long, and said to be sometimes 18 in. long, and 4 in. in diameter in the widest part; scales 14 in. wide, and nearly 2 in. 2203 long. Seed large, oval, in. long, and nearly in. broad; dark brown: wing dark brown, and, with the seed, 1 in. long, and in. broad in the widest part. Native of the north-west coast of North America, where it was discovered by Douglas; and introduced into England in 1827.

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Description. According to Douglas, "the trunk of P. Lambertiana grows from 150 ft. to above 200 ft. in height, varying from 20 ft. to near 60 ft. in circumference. One specimen, which had been blown down by the wind, and which was certainly not the largest, was of the following dimensions:- Its entire length was 215 ft.; its circumference, at 3 ft. from the ground, was 57 ft. 9 in., and at 134 ft. from the ground, 17 ft. 5 in. The trunk is unusually straight, and

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destitute of branches about two thirds of its height. The bark is uncommonly smooth for such large timber, of a light brown colour on the south, and bleached on the north, side. The branches are pendulous, and form an open pyramidal head, with that appearance which is peculiar to the A'bies tribe. The leaves are between 4 in. and 5 in. long, and grow in fives, with short deciduous sheaths, like those of P. Stròbus: they are rigid, of a bright green colour, but not glossy, and, from minute denticulations of the margin, are scabrous to the touch. The cones are pendulous from the extremities of the branches: they

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are two years in acquiring their full growth; they are at first upright, and do not begin to droop till the second year. When young, they have a very taper figure. When ripe, they are about 11 in. in circumference at the thickest part, and vary from 12in. to 16 in. in length. The scales are lax, rounded at the apex, and perfectly destitute of prickles: the seeds large, 8 lines long, and 4 broad; oval; and, like those of the P. Pínea, their kernels are sweet, and very pleasant to the taste.

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The wing is membranaceous, of a dolabriform figure, and fuliginous colour, about twice as long as the seed; it has an innumerable quantity of minute sinuous vessels, filled with a crimson substance, and forming most beautiful microscopic objects. The embryo has 12 or 13 cotyledons. The whole tree produces an abundance of pure amber-coloured resin. Its timber is white, soft, and light; it abounds in turpentine reservoirs; and its specific gravity has been ascertained, from a specimen sent to England, to be 0-463. The annual layers are very narrow in the above specimen, there were 56 in the space of 4 in. next the outside. The species to which this pine is most nearly allied is, undoubtedly, P. Stròbus, from which, however, it is extremely different in station, habit, and parts of fructification." (Dougl. in Linn. Trans., xv. p. 499.)

Geography, History, &c. This species "covers large districts about 100 miles from the ocean, in lat. 43° N., and extends as far to the south as 40°." It first came under the notice of Douglas in August, 1825, while at the head waters of the Multnomah river. In October, 1826, continues Douglas, "it was my good fortune to meet with it beyond a range of mountains running in a southwestern direction from the Rocky Mountains towards the sea, and terminating at the Cape Orford of Vancouver. It grows sparingly upon low hills, and the undulating country east of the range of mountains just mentioned, where the soil consists entirely of pure sand, and in appearance is incapable of supporting vegetation. Here it attains its greatest size, and perfects its fruit in most abundance. The trees do not form dense forests, as most of the other pines which clothe the face of North-west America; but, like P.resinòsa, which grows among them, they are scattered singly over the plains, and may be considered to form a sort of connecting link between the gloomy forests of the north and the more tropical-looking verdure of California." (Ibid., p. 498.) Plants were raised of this species in the Horticultural Society's Garden in 1827, and distributed in the following year; but it is remarkable that the greater part of them have since died, generally when they were about 4 ft. or 5 ft. in height. Notwithstanding this, the species does not appear to be much more tender than P. Stròbus. The largest existing plant that

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we know of is in the garden of William Wells, Esq., at Redleaf, where, having been sown in 1829, it is 10 ft. 2 in. high. One in the Chiswick Garden, sown the same year, and of which fig. 2207. is a portrait, is only 6 ft. 6 in. high.

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