Part 12

Leaves deeply grooved, very dark green and lustrous on the upper surface, silvery white on the lower, with broad bands of 6 or 8 rows of stomata between the prominent midribs and incurved margins, on sterile branches obtuse and rounded, or notched or occasionally acute at apex, ¾′—1¼′ long, 1/16′—1/12′ wide, often broadest above the middle, erect by a twist at their base, very crowded, those on the upper side of the branch much shorter than those on the lower and usually parallel with and closely appressed against it, on fertile branches acute or acuminate with callous tips, occasionally stomatiferous on the upper surface near the apex, ½′—¾′ long; on vigorous leading shoots acute, with long rigid points, closely appressed or recurved near the middle, about ¾′ long and nearly ⅛′ wide. Flowers: male red; female with broad rounded scales and rhombic dark purple lustrous bracts erose above the middle and gradually contracted into broad points. Fruit oblong, slightly narrowed to the rounded and often retuse apex, deep rich purple, puberulous, 3½′—6′ long, with scales 1′—1⅛′ wide, nearly as long as broad, gradually narrowed from the rounded apex and rather more than twice as long as their reddish rhombic or oblong-obovate bracts terminating in long slender tips; seeds light yellow-brown, ½′ long, with oblique pale brown lustrous wings about ¾′ long.

A tree, often 250° tall, or at high altitudes and in the north usually not more than 70°—80° tall, with a trunk 4°—6° in diameter, in thick forests often naked for 150°, but in open situations densely clothed to the ground with comparatively short branches sweeping down in graceful curves, and stout branchlets clothed for four or five years with soft fine pubescence, light orange-brown in their first season, becoming dark purple and ultimately reddish brown. Winter-buds nearly globose, ⅛′—¼′ thick, with closely imbricated lustrous purple scales. Bark on trees up to 150 years old thin, smooth, pale or silvery white, becoming near the ground on old trees 1½′—2½′ thick, and irregularly divided into comparatively small plates covered with small closely appressed reddish brown or reddish gray scales. Wood light, hard, not strong, close-grained, pale brown, with nearly white sapwood; in Washington occasionally manufactured into lumber used in the interior finish of buildings.

Distribution. High mountain slopes and benches from southeastern Alaska (Boca de Quadra Inlet and Sandfly Bay), to Vancouver Island and southward along the coast ranges to Saddle Mountain near Astoria, Oregon, and on the Cascade Mountains to the slopes of Old Bailey Mountain, Oregon, ranging from the sea level at the north to elevations of from 3000°—6000° southward; attaining its largest size on the Olympic Mountains of Washington, where it is the most common Fir-tree.

Occasionally cultivated as an ornamental tree in the eastern states and in western Europe, but without developing the beauty which distinguishes this species in its native forests.

7. Abies nobilis Lindl. Red Fir.

Leaves marked on the upper surface with a deep sharply defined groove, rounded and obscurely ribbed on the lower surface, stomatiferous above and below, dark or light blue-green, often very glaucous during their first season, crowded in several rows, those on the lower side of the branch two-ranked by the twisting of their bases, the others crowded, strongly incurved, with the points erect or pointing away from the end of the branch, on young plants and on the lower sterile branches of old trees flat, rounded, usually slightly notched at apex, 1′—1½′ long, about 1/16′ wide, on fertile branches much thickened and almost equally 4-sided, acuminate, with long rigid callous tips, ½′—¾′ long, on leading shoots flat, gradually narrowed from the base, acuminate, with long rigid points, about 1′ long. Flowers: male reddish purple; female often scattered over the upper part of the tree, with broad rounded scales much shorter than their nearly orbicular bracts erose on the margins and contracted above into slender elongated strongly reflexed tips. Fruit oblong-cylindric, slightly narrowed but full and rounded at apex, 4′—5′ long, purple or olive-brown, pubescent, with scales about one third wider than long, gradually narrowed from the rounded apex to the base, or full at the sides, rounded and denticulate above the middle and sharply contracted and wedge-shaped below, nearly or entirely covered by their strongly reflexed pale green spatulate bracts full and rounded above, fimbriate on the margins, with broad midribs produced into short broad flattened points; seeds ½′ long, pale reddish brown, about as long as their wings, gradually narrowed from below to the nearly truncate slightly rounded apex.

A tree, in old age with a comparatively broad somewhat rounded head, usually 150°—200° and occasionally 250° high, with a trunk 6°—8° in diameter, short rigid branches, short stout remote lateral branches standing out at right angles, and slender reddish brown branchlets puberulous for four or five years and generally pointing forward. Winter-buds ovoid-oblong, red-brown, about ⅛′ long. Bark becoming on old trunks 1′—2′ thick, bright red-brown, and deeply divided into broad flat ridges irregularly broken by cross fissures and covered with thick closely appressed scales. Wood light, hard, strong, rather close-grained, pale brown streaked with red, with darker colored sapwood; occasionally manufactured into lumber and used under the name of larch for the interior finish of buildings and for packing-cases.

Distribution. Slopes of Mt. Baker in northern Washington and southward to the valley of the Mackenzie River, Oregon, and the Siskiyou Mountains, California, at elevations of from 2000°—5000° above the sea; most abundant and often forming extensive forests on the Cascade Mountains of Washington; less abundant and of smaller size on the eastern and northern slopes of these mountains. In Oregon sometimes called Larch.

Often planted in western and central Europe as an ornamental tree, and in the eastern states hardy in sheltered positions as far north as Massachusetts.

8. Abies magnifica A. Murr. Red Fir.

Leaves almost equally 4-sided, ribbed above and below, with 6—8 rows of stomata on each of the 4 sides, pale and very glaucous during their first season, later becoming blue-green, persistent usually for about ten years; on young plants and lower branches oblanceolate, somewhat flattened, rounded, bluntly pointed, ¾′—1½′ long, 1/16′ wide, those on the lower side of the branch spreading in 2 nearly horizontal ranks by the twist at their base, on upper, especially on fertile branches, much thickened, with more prominent midribs, acute, with short callous tips, ⅓′ long on the upper side of the branch to 1¼′ long on the lower side, crowded, erect, strongly incurved, completely hiding the upper side of the branch, on leading shoots ¾′ long, erect and acuminate, with long rigid points pressed against the stem. Flowers: male dark reddish purple; female with rounded scales much shorter than their oblong pale green bracts terminating in elongated slender tips more or less tinged with red. Fruit oblong-cylindric, slightly narrowed to the rounded, truncate, or retuse apex, dark purplish brown, puberulous, from 6′—9′ long, with scales often 1½′ wide and about two thirds as wide as long, gradually narrowed to the cordate base, somewhat longer or often two thirds as long as their spatulate acute or acuminate bracts slightly serrulate above the middle and often sharply contracted and then enlarged toward the base; seeds dark reddish brown, ¾′ long, about as wide as their lustrous rose-colored obovate cuneate wings nearly truncate and often ¾′ wide at apex.

A tree, in old age occasionally somewhat round-topped, frequently 200° high, with a trunk 8°—10° in diameter and often naked for half the height of the tree, comparatively short small branches, the upper somewhat ascending, the lower pendulous, and stout light yellow-green branchlets pointing forward, slightly puberulous during their first season, becoming light red-brown and lustrous and ultimately gray or silvery white. Winter-buds ovoid, acute, ¼′⅓′ long, their bright chestnut-brown scales with prominent midribs produced into short tips. Bark becoming 4′—6′ thick near the ground, deeply divided into broad rounded ridges broken by cross fissures and covered by dark red-brown scales. Wood light, soft, not strong, comparatively durable, light red-brown, with thick somewhat darker sapwood; largely used for fuel, and in California occasionally manufactured into coarse lumber employed in the construction of cheap buildings and for packing-cases.

Distribution. Cascade Mountains of southern Oregon, southward over the mountain ranges of northern California (summits of the Trinity and Salmon Mountains and on the inner north coast ranges), and along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada to the divide between White and Kern Rivers; common in southern Oregon at elevations between 5000° and 7000° above the sea, forming sometimes nearly pure forests; very abundant on the Sierra Nevada, and the principal tree in the forest belt at elevations between 6000° and 9000°; ascending towards the southern extremity of its range to over 10,000°. Small stunted trees from the neighborhood of Meadow Lake, Sierra County, California, with yellowish cones have been described as var. _xancocarpa_ Lemm.

Often planted as an ornamental tree in western and central Europe, and sometimes hardy in the United States as far north as eastern Massachusetts.

A distinct form is

Abies magnifica var. shastensis Lemm. Red Fir.

On the mountains of southern Oregon and at high elevations on those of northern California, and on the southern Sierra Nevada, occurs this form distinguished only by the longer rounded or obtusely pointed (not acute) bright yellow bracts which sometimes cover nearly half their scales.

9. Abies venusta K. Koch. Silver Fir.

_Abies bracteata_ D. Don.

Leaves thin, flat, rigid, linear or linear-lanceolate, gradually or abruptly narrowed toward the base, often falcate, especially on fertile branches, acuminate, with long slender callous tips, dark yellow-green, lustrous and slightly rounded on the upper surface marked below the middle with an obscure groove, silvery white or on old leaves pale on the lower surface, with bands of 8—10 rows of stomata between the broad midrib and the thickened strongly revolute margins, 2-ranked from the conspicuous twist near their base and spreading at nearly right angles to the branch, or pointing forward on upper fertile branches, 1½′—2¼′ long, on leading shoots standing out at almost right angles, rounded on the upper surface, more or less incurved above the middle, 1½′—1¾′ long, about ⅛′ wide. Flowers: male produced in great numbers near the base of the branchlets on branches from the middle of the tree upward, pale yellow; female near the ends of the branchlets of the upper branches only, with oblong scales rounded above and nearly as long as their cuneate obcordate yellow-green bracts ending in slender elongated awns. Fruit on stout peduncles sometimes ½′ long, oval or subcylindric, full and rounded at apex, glabrous, pale purple-brown, 3′—4′ long, with thin scales strongly incurved above, obtusely short-pointed at apex, obscurely denticulate on the thin margins, about one third longer than their oblong-obovate obcordate pale yellow-brown bracts terminating in flat rigid tips 1′—1¾′ long, above the middle of the cone pointing toward its apex and often closely appressed to its sides, below the middle spreading toward its base and frequently much recurved, firmly attached to the cone-scales and deciduous with them from the thick conical sharp-pointed axis of the cone; seeds dark red-brown, about ⅜′ long, and nearly as long as their oblong-obovate pale reddish brown lustrous wings rounded at the apex.

A tree, 100°—150° high, with a trunk sometimes 3° in diameter, comparatively short slender usually pendulous branches furnished with long sinuous rather remote lateral branches sparsely clothed with foliage, forming a broad-based pyramid abruptly narrowed 15°—20° from the top of the tree into a thin spire-like head, and stout glabrous light reddish brown branchlets covered at first with a glaucous bloom. Winter-buds ovoid, acute, ¾′—1′ long, ¼′—⅓′ thick, with very thin, loosely imbricated, pale chestnut-brown, acute, boat-shaped scales. Bark becoming near the base of the tree ½′—¾′ thick, light reddish brown, slightly and irregularly fissured and broken into thick closely appressed scales. Wood heavy, not hard, coarse-grained, light brown tinged with yellow, with paler sapwood.

Distribution. In the moist bottoms of cañons and on dry rocky summits, usually at elevations of about 3000° above the sea on both slopes of the outer western ridge of the Santa Lucia Mountains, Monterey County, California.

Occasionally and successfully grown as an ornamental tree in the milder parts of Great Britain and in northern Italy; not hardy in the eastern United States.

7. SEQUOIA Endl.

Resinous aromatic trees, with tall massive lobed trunks, thick bark of 2 layers, the outer composed of fibrous scales, the inner thin, close and firm, soft, durable, straight-grained red heartwood, thin nearly white sapwood, short stout horizontal branches, terete lateral branchlets deciduous in the autumn, and scaly or naked buds. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or linear and spreading in 2 ranks especially on young trees and branches, or linear, acute, compressed, keeled on the back and closely appressed or spreading at apex, the two forms appearing sometimes on the same branch or on different branches of the same tree. Flowers minute, solitary, monœcious, appearing in early spring from buds formed the previous autumn, the male terminal in the axils of upper leaves, oblong or ovoid, surrounded by an involucre of numerous imbricated ovate, acute, and apiculate bracts, with numerous spirally disposed filaments dilated into ovoid acute subpeltate denticulate connectives bearing on their inner face 2—5 pendulous globose 2-valved anther-cells; the female terminal, ovoid or oblong, composed of numerous spirally imbricated ovate scales abruptly keeled on the back, the keels produced into short or elongated points closely adnate to the short ovule-bearing scales rounded above and bearing below their upper margin in 2 rows 5—7 ovules at first erect, becoming reversed. Fruit an ovoid or short-oblong pendulous cone maturing during the first or second season, persistent after the escape of the seeds, its scales formed by the enlargement of the united flower and ovuliferous scales, becoming woody, bearing large deciduous resin-glands, gradually enlarged upward and widening at the apex into a narrow thickened oblong disk transversely depressed through the middle and sometimes tipped with a small point. Seeds 5—7 under each scale, oblong-ovoid, compressed; seed-coat membranaceous, produced into broad thin lateral wings; cotyledons 4—6, longer than the inferior radicle.

Sequoia, widely scattered with several species over the northern hemisphere during the cretaceous and tertiary epochs, is now confined to the coast of Oregon and California and the mountains of California, where two species exist.

The name of the genus is formed from Sequoiah, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet.

CONSPECTUS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES.

Leaves mostly spreading in 2 ranks; cones maturing in one season; buds scaly. 1. S. sempervirens (G). Leaves slightly spreading or appressed; cones maturing in their second season; buds naked. 2. S. gigantea (G).

1. Sequoia sempervirens Endl. Redwood.

Leaves of secondary branches and of lower branches of young trees lanceolate, more or less falcate, acute or acuminate and usually tipped with slender rigid points, slightly thickened on the revolute margins, decurrent at the base, spreading in 2 ranks by a half-turn at their base, ¼′—½′ long, about ⅛′ wide, obscurely keeled and marked above by 2 narrow bands of stomata, glaucous and stomatiferous below on each side of their conspicuous midrib, on leading shoots disposed in many ranks, more or less spreading or appressed, ovate or ovate-oblong, incurved at the rounded apiculate apex, thickened, rounded, and stomatiferous on the lower surface, concave, prominently keeled and covered with stomata on the upper surface, usually about ¼′ long; dying and turning reddish brown at least two years before falling. Flowers opening in December or January; male oblong, obtuse; female with about 20 broadly ovate acute scales tipped with elongated and incurved or short points. Fruit ripening in October, oblong, ¾′—1′ long, ½′ broad, its scales gradually enlarged from slender stipes abruptly dilated above into disks penetrated by deep narrow grooves, and usually without tips; seeds about 1/16′ long, light brown, with wings as broad as their body.

A tree, from 200°—340° high, with a slightly tapering and irregularly lobed trunk usually free of branches for 75°—100°, usually 10°—15°, rarely 28° in diameter at the much buttressed base, slender branches, clothed with branchlets spreading in 2 ranks and forming while the tree is young an open narrow pyramid, on old trees becoming stout and horizontal, and forming a narrow rather compact and very irregular head remarkably small in proportion to the height and size of the trunk, and slender leading branchlets covered at the end of three or four years after the leaves fall with cinnamon-brown scaly bark; when cut producing from the stump numerous vigorous long-lived shoots. Buds with numerous loosely imbricated ovate acute scales persistent on the base of the branchlet. Bark 6′—12′ thick, divided into rounded ridges and separated on the surface into long narrow dark brown fibrous scales often broken transversely and in falling disclosing the bright cinnamon-red inner bark. Wood light, soft, not strong, close-grained, easily split and worked, very durable in contact with the soil, clear light red; largely manufactured into lumber and used for shingles, fence-posts, railway-ties, wine-butts, and in buildings.

Distribution. Valley of the Chetco River, Oregon, 8 miles north of the California state line, southward near the coast to Monterey County, California; rarely found more than twenty or thirty miles from the coast, or beyond the influence of the ocean fogs, or over 3000° above the sea-level; often forming in northern California pure forests occupying the sides of ravines and the banks of streams; southward growing usually in small groves scattered among other trees; most abundant and of its largest size north of Cape Mendocino.

Often cultivated as an ornamental tree in the temperate countries of Europe, and occasionally in the southeastern United States.

2. Sequoia gigantea Decne. Big Tree.

_Sequoia Wellingtonia_ Seem.

Leaves ovate and acuminate, or lanceolate, rounded and thickened on the lower surface, concave on the upper surface, marked by bands of stomata on both sides of the obscure midrib, rigid, sharp-pointed, decurrent below, spreading or closely appressed above the middle, ⅛′—¼′ or on leading shoots ½′ long. Flowers opening in late winter and early spring; male in great profusion over the whole tree, oblong-ovoid, with ovate acute or acuminate connectives; female with 25—40 pale yellow scales slightly keeled on the back and gradually narrowed into long slender points. Fruit maturing in the second year, ovoid-oblong, 2′—3½′ long, 1½′—2¼′ wide, dark reddish brown, the scales gradually thickened upward from the base to the slightly dilated apex, ¾′—1¼′ long, and ¼′—½′ wide, deeply pitted in the middle, often furnished with an elongated reflexed tip and on the upper side near the base with two or three large deciduous resin-glands; seeds linear-lanceolate, compressed, ⅛′—¼′ long, light brown, surrounded by laterally united wings broader than the body of the seed, apiculate at the apex, often very unequal.

A tree, at maturity usually about 275° high, with a trunk 20° in diameter near the ground, occasionally becoming 320° tall, with a trunk 35° in diameter, much enlarged and buttressed at base, fluted with broad low rounded ridges, in old age naked often for 150° with short thick horizontal branches, slender leading branchlets becoming after the disappearance of the leaves reddish brown more or less tinged with purple and covered with thin close or slightly scaly bark and naked buds. Bark 1°—2° thick, divided into rounded lobes 4°—5° wide, corresponding to the lobes of the trunk, separating into loose light cinnamon-red fibrous scales, the outer scales slightly tinged with purple. Wood very light, soft, not strong, brittle and coarse-grained, turning dark on exposure; manufactured into lumber and used for fencing, in construction, and for shingles.

Distribution. Western slopes of the Sierra Nevada of California, in an interrupted belt at elevations of 5000°—8400° above the level of the sea, from the middle fork of the American River to the head of Deer Creek just south of latitude 36°; north of King’s River in isolated groves, southward forming forests of considerable extent, and best developed on the north fork of the Tule River.

Universally cultivated as an ornamental tree in all the countries of western and southern Europe; and occasionally in the middle eastern United States.

8. TAXODIUM Rich. Bald Cypress.

Resinous trees, with furrowed scaly bark, light brown durable heartwood, thin white sapwood, erect ultimately spreading branches, deciduous usually 2-ranked lateral branchlets, scaly globose buds, and stout horizontal roots often producing erect woody projections (_knees_). Leaves spirally disposed, pale and marked with stomata below on both sides of the obscure midrib, dark green above, linear-lanceolate, spreading in 2 ranks, or scale-like and appressed on lateral branchlets, the two forms appearing on the same or on different branches of the same tree or on separate trees, deciduous. Flowers unisexual, from buds formed the previous year; male in the axils of scale-like bracts in long terminal drooping panicles, with 6—8 stamens opposite in 2 ranks, their filaments abruptly enlarged into broadly ovate peltate yellow connectives bearing on their inner face in 2 rows 4—9 2-valved pendulous anther-cells; female scattered near the ends of the branches of the previous year, subglobose, composed of numerous ovate spirally arranged long-pointed scales, adnate below to the thickened fleshy ovuliferous scales bearing at their base 2 erect bottle-shaped ovules. Fruit a globose or obovoid short-stalked woody cone maturing the first year and persistent after the escape of the seeds, formed from the enlargement and union of the flower and ovule-bearing scales abruptly dilated from slender stipes into irregularly 4-sided disks often mucronate at maturity, bearing on the inner face, especially on the stipes, large dark glands filled with blood-red fragrant liquid resin. Seeds in pairs under each scale, attached laterally to the stipes, erect, unequally 3-angled; seed-coat light brown and lustrous, thick, coriaceous or corky, produced into 3 thick unequal lateral wings and below into a slender elongated point; cotyledons 4—9, shorter than the superior radicle.

Taxodium, widely distributed through North America and Europe in Miocene and Pliocene times, is now confined to the southern United States and Mexico. Two species are distinguished.

The generic name, from τάξος and εῖδος, indicates a resemblance of the leaves to those of the Yew-tree.