COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. ~, CONE-BEARING TREES. OF THE CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS “ 4 rs > ie ia ij a - alle a) f * i ‘ | oa 5 y i pA i" s a a ‘ var eed aed) co » heii La ~ r bl iil fi 7 as i - ) i 4 ‘ CONE-BEARING TREES OF THE CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS BY Pov MATON CHASE . ‘ft ae AUTHOR OF “YOSEMITE TRAILS FULLY ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. pee! on COPYRIGHT A.C. MeCLURG & CO. <€ bent yy § 1911 PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1911. : ‘ ’ 1 t 4 ips = * ‘ = o s Boys € € £216, (3 The Piublishers’ Press Chicago y ; he n ‘oa i areas MLM: hd baa OL ~ 4 7, i i) % “i / EN TRODUCTION N sending out this little book dealing with an exten- sive subject, it is necessary to preface it with a few explanatory paragraphs. It is prepared not by a botan- ist for botanists, nor by a botanist for students, but by a tree-lover for tree-lovers, and aims simply at enabling any one going into our California mountains to distin- guish the pines, firs, and other coniferous trees he may meet. The writer has carefully avoided technical terms, except in the necessary regard of giving the definite bo- tanical names, and has restricted himself to noting the broad characteristics of each species, in order to secure simplicity. In larger books the reader would find a mul- titude of differentiations, particularizations, and excep- tions which are valuable and necessary for close students, but would bring only mystification and uncertainty to the great majority of those for whom especially this manual is intended. Guided by the illustrations provided in this small book and the typical characteristics given in the text, the traveller in our mountains will have little or no difficulty in recognizing his tree-company. Be it remembered, however, that families of trees, like races of men, may vary greatly in their individuals. V LNT BOD 2) CT Tae In general habit of growth, and to some extent in the detail of features, they are disturbed by circumstances outside the normal. In exposed positions the bark is likely to be redder and the leaves shorter than is usual, ~ and the shape of the tree may be quite irregular; young trees will be found to vary from the mature type in some particulars; and any species of tree will modify its growth according as it stands in close or open forest. The characteristics here noted are the features of the full-grown trees in their normal growth, and they are stated with as much both of exactness and elasticity as careful consideration in each case seemed to warrant. Only the inland and mountain species of the California conifers are described in this book. The coast species are limited to a verv few beyond those which are re- ferred to in connection with certain of the mountain trees. To name them briefly, they are: Pinus radiata, the well-known Monterey-pine, widely cultivated in gardens. Pinus torreyana, the unique Torrey-pine, found only in a small locality near the mouth of the Soledad River in San Diego County and on Santa Rosa Island. Pinus muricata, the Prickle-cone-pine, which grows on the coast of Northern, Middle, and Lower Cali- fornia (not in Southern California), and on Cedros Island. Pinus contorta, the Scrub-pine or Beach-pine, growing near the coast in Northern California. (See ref- erence on p. 37 under head of P. murrayana.) VI mw fk OO iy CT. TON Abies venusta, the Bristle-cone-fir, confined to the Santa Lucia Mountains near the coast of Mon- terey County: and 4. grandis, or Grand-fir, found in the northern coast counties of the State. Tsuga heterophylla, the Coast-hemlock, inhabiting the northern coast region as far south as Mendocino County. Picea sitchensis, the Sitka-spruce, growing near the coast of the northern counties. (There is also a mountain spruce, P. breweriana or Weeping- spruce, found in the extreme north of the State. The tree is rare, and has not been illustrated in this book.) Beyond these there are the following cedars and eypresses, mainly confined to the coast regions, viz.: the Port Orford cedar, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, and the Red-cedar or Arborvite, Thuja plicata; the well-known Monterey-cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa, used so gen- erally for hedges and windbreaks, and four other cy- presses, C. goveniana, C. macnabiana, C. sargenti, and C. bakert. A few words are necessary also on the subject of names. Over the whole matter of the colloquial names of trees a mild anarchy reigns, and this is particularly the case in regard to the family of the Conifere, which includes a large number of individuals bearing a gen- eral resemblance to other members of their own or even of a different genus. Such words as “black,” “white,” “red,” “silver,” “scrub,” and so forth, are applied care- lessly. and often with no particular fitness, to distinct Vil ENE BG D0 ee eae trees in different localities; while the use of such terms as “jack,” “bull,” ete., approaches the humorous in its hopeless irrelevance. Even the main divisions of genus are commonly disregarded, firs being often called spruces, spruces hemlocks, and all and sundry pines. As an instance may be cited the well-knowm “Douglas- spruce,’ Pseudotsuga taxifolia: it is known to most lumbermen as Red-fir or Douglas-fir; the timber is every- where sold as Oregon pine; vet the tree is neither spruce, fir, nor pine, but a “false” hemlock. It seemed necessary, however, in a book of this description, to note all the commonly used names of each tree, following the botani- cal name, rather than risk throwing the reader off the scent. The first of the names given in each case is the one which the writer finds most generally preferred by authorities, and hence it is the one which he would re- commend to his readers and under which it appears in the index. As regards the botanical names, also, some confusion exists, due to various causes: sometimes to actual differ- ence of opinion as to the identity of trees, sometimes to a question of priority of publication of the names given by different botanists to a newly discovered species, sometimes to accidental causes such as mixture of seeds or specimens. The nomenclature here followed is that of Professor W. L. Jepson, of the University of Cali- fornia, in his “Flora of California,” now issuing from the press. it seemed best in a few cases to give alternative designations, but this has been done only when the differ- ing names have apneared in authoritative current works. VIII Poneto Or Oe TO N The photographs used to illustrate this book, with the exception of two which are noted as having been courteously supplied by the Forest Service of the De- partment of Agriculture, were taken by the writer es- pecially for this purpose. The line-drawings are the work of my friend, Mr. Carl Eytel, and were made directly from the specimens with the exception of the two which are stated as being re-drawn from “The Silva of North America” of Professor C. S. Sargent, by kind permission of the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Com- pany, of Boston, Mass. The writer has pleasure in acknowledging his indebt- edness to the works of other and more scientific authors, notably to the superb “Silva of North America,’ re- ferred to above, and to the admirable publication of the United States Department of Agriculture, “Forest Trees of the Pacific Slope,’ by Mr. George B. Sudworth, Den- drologist of the Forest Service; by reference to which the writer has been able to check and verify his own studies in the field. cree ©. Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, January, 1911. CONE-BEARING TREES OF THE CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS A R= PENSE Pinus lambertiana x X > UG CONE-BEARING TREES Ok CALIFORNIA "PINUS LAMBERTIANA ( SUGAR-PINE ) das finest of all the pines, both in beauty of tree and value of its timber. ‘The stem is perfectly straight, round, and tapered, and in favorable positions the. full-grown tree is from [13] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALI®POR@?s 150 to 200 feet or more high, and from 4 to 8 or more feet in diameter. Mature trees have a very open, wide crown of irregular, often horizontal branches, of which a few extend far beyond the others. It grows freely on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada at from 3,000 to 7,000 feet elevation, and to a limited extent on the eastern slope, and continues through the mountains of Southern California and on into Lower California at shghtly higher ranges. BARK is 2 or 8 inches thick, of a handsome brown or reddish color with a purple tinge, regularly and finely broken. LEAVES grow 5 in a cluster, are dark green, and from 3 to 4 inches long. CONKS are the longest and most beautiful of all cones, from 12 to 20 inches long, sometimes longer; straight, slender, pointed, hanging on short stems from tips of upper branches: green when growing, clear light brown when dry. The “sugar” is found in the form of grains where wounds have occurred on the trunk. It is medicinal, and should not be used over-freely. [1.4] -PiINES Pinus ponderosa - j YELLOW CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PreNUS PONDEROSA ( YELLOW-PINE, PITCH-PINE, BULL-PINE, SILVER-PINE, WESTERN YELLOW-PINE ) ort. symmetrical tree of 125 to 150 feet average height, or up to 200, and from 8 to 6 or even 8 feet thickness: valuable for its timber. In its typical growth it forms a remarkably perfect slender pyramid: in old trees the lower branches trend strongly down in angular reaches. It grows freely on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada at as low [17] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA as 1,500 feet, but in the central and southern parts of the range it begins at about 2,500 feet and is found up to 6,000 feet. In the Southern California mountains it grows at from 3,000 or 4,000 up to 9,000 feet. BARK ranges from pale buff to reddish brown, and on old trees is 3 or 4 inches thick and forms large, irregular plates, often 3 or 4 feet long and 114 feet wide. LEAVES in 3s, from 5 to 11 inches long, bright yellowish green, borne in star-like clus- ters at ends of twigs. CONES 8 to 6 inches long, pointed oval when open, often in clusters: green or sometimes purple when mature, light red-brown when dry. Scale-tips have a short prickle. Cones are stemless and often some of the small unopened base-scales remain at- tached to the tree when the cone falls. [18] ; " ‘ - t J . / — : ia ——_ ‘ c % Tae Ny 7 ~~ : * Je oie Yo Pd ss Pinus ponderosa var. jeffreyi Open growth CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PINUS PONDEROSA var. JEFFREY I ( JEFFREY-PINE ) | a tree is considered by many authorities to be a species separate from the preced- ing, and is called by them P. jeffreyi. Cer- tainly the two types merge into one another in a very confusing manner. Generally speak- ing, the Jeffrey-pine is a somewhat smaller but wider branched tree, and the branches are less angular. BARK is redder and broken into [21] CONE-BEARING TREES Ol CALIFORNIA smaller plates. LEAVES are similar to those of the typical ponderosa but of a bluer shade and hardly as long. CONES are very much larger and somewhat rounder, from 6 to 11 inches long; otherwise similar. The tree does not descend so low as the regular ponderosa, but mixes with it in its middle and upper ranges and continues beyond it, growing often on high, exposed ridges where it suffers ex- treme dwarfing and appears in remarkable shapes. It grows well on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, reaching out on to the high desert levels of Inyo and Mono Counties, and is found on the mountains of the San Gabriel Reserve and on San _ Bernardino, San Jacinto and the Cuyamaca Mountains. - eo ~ 7 COULTER PINE Pinus coulteri CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA ———-__ : — = S — f Wy } /) | 7 Vt Al i/ y, ii | 4 F f} Y < im \ a “4 7. ‘ PevyUS COULTERERI ( COULTER-PINE, BIG-CONE-PINE, PITCH-PINE, BULL-PINE ) vo tree, well branched and _ heavily foliaged, seldom over 70 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter. ‘The branches often erow almost to the ground, and, spread- ing widely, give to the tree a sharp conical form. It has a general resemblance to the ponderosa and jeffreyi species, and is some- [25] CONE-BEARING -TREES OF CALIFORNIA times found growing with them. It is com- mon in the mountain ranges of Southern and Lower California, and grows also in some parts of the Coast Range but not north of the latitude of San Francisco. Its range of alti- tude runs from 2,500 up to 6,500 feet. This pine or the Douglas-spruce is usually the first of the conifers met in ascending the mountains of Southern California. BARK is very dark brown, rugged, and thick near base of tree. LEAVES are 3 to a cluster, stiff, strong, dark bright green, usually erect, with an aver- age length of about 10 inches, and grow in dense brushy masses on very thick branchlets. CONES are very large and heavy, often over a foot long and 6 or 7 inches thick, the scales prolonged into formidable claws. ‘They gen- erally grow singly but occasionally two or three together, and are sometimes produced on the main stem. In falling, the cone breaks near the base, leaving some of the scales at- tached to the tree. os wee DiGG ERP BNE wniana Pinus sab CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PINUS SABINIANA ( DIGGER-PINE, GRAY-PINE, BULL-PINE, PINON-PINE, NUT-PINE ) ae TOLIAGED. spindling tree, average height 40 to 60 feet and thickness 114 to 2 feet, usually dividing into several straight, up- ward-srowing arms: quite unlike any other pine in the manner of growth. The first pine met in ascending the western slope of the Sierra Nevada throughout Central California, [29] CONE-BEARING TREES Ol CALIFORNIA ranging between altitudes of about 1,000 to 8,000 feet. Grows on dry, hot foothills, but not known south of the Tehachapi. BARK is dark grayish brown, deeply furrowed. LEAVES in sets of 3, from 8 to 12 inches long, sparse, drooping, grayish green. ‘The tree gives hardly any shade. CONES are from 6 to 10 inches long, round-oval, coffee- brown when ripe. ‘They grow on stout stems and do not easily fall from the tree. Scale- tips bend down and outward, ending in strong, thorny points. The wood is not of value ex- cept for firewood, but the seeds are eaten by the Digger Indians. (These seeds are not the true pinons, which are borne by the Single-leaf pine, P. monophylla. ) [30] » KNOB-CONE-PINE tuberculata anus P CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA i si) We yee aan ft LF) D f as UI S ame Pe FZ : Ny, a= | OSA 47 GZ “a 1, to Mee GILT a Me See H/F Fass A rt (iors, i 3 FIAS “~ Se VE Saat | ‘ape eee: Heese roe Bw ©, RF NER, r = Pemwtws TUBERCULAT A Also called P. attenuata ( KNOB-CONE-PINE, SCRUB-PINE ) et a small, slender, straight-growing tree of from 20 to 40 feet height, some- times much taller, and 1 to 114 feet diameter, but often found with a forked stem, and some- times of a round, bushy growth. It grows in [33] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA small isolated areas on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, usually at altitudes of from 2,000 to 5,000 feet; also in the Coast Range and on the southern slope of the San Bernar- dino Mountains, and possibly on San Jacinto Mountain. BARK is thin, dull grayish brown, somewhat furrowed. LEAVES grow in 3s and are from 4 to 7 inches long, slender, pli- able, of a clean light green. CONES are from 5 to 7 inches long, pointed, slightly curved, set often in circles attached, points downward, di- rectly to branches or main stem. ‘They remain indefinitely on the tree with scales unopened, so that the trees are only propagated by acci- dent, as when fire or storm overthrows them. The scales bear prickles and are often devel- oped into strong, curved hooks on the convex side of the cone. Color of dry cones is light brown. The trees bear cones when a few years old, but the age limit is not known as fire is almost always the cause of death; they are not thought to be long-lived. [34] PASE ALR A CaS Pinus murrayana Open growth CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA Panes MURRAY ANA ( TAMARACK, LODGE-POLE-PINE ) HIs tree, the common “‘tamarack”’ of the Si- erra, is by some botanists considered to be a variety of the species contorta, but is now us- ually distinguished as a separate species, apart from P. contorta, the “Scrub-pine” of the coast regions. In close stands it is a straight, slim tree of from 50 to 100 feet height and 2 to 3 feet thickness, scanty of foliage, and bare of branches for half its height. Where it grows more openly it does not exceed 60 feet in height [37] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA and the foliage is denser and continues to the ground. It has an unusually wide range, of from 4,000 to 10,000 feet, mainly on the west- ern slope of the Sierra Nevada, where it forms great homogeneous forests, but extending in places to the eastern side. Where it reaches timber-line it 1s often much dwarfed. It grows also on some peaks of the San Gabriel Reserve and on the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains, and extends into Lower California. BARK is thin, smooth, and scaly, peeling off in sheets lke birch-bark; usually gray but somewhat brownish; in exposed places vere- ing on red: and so resinous that the tree suffers to an exceptional degree from fire. LEAVES are in 2s, from 114 to 3 inches long, stiff, vel- lowish green, tufty or “foxtail” in manner of growth. CONES are 114 to 21% inches long, bright green when growing, red-brown when dry. The scales open and curve backward like flower petals, except the unfertile scales at the bottom, which remain closed, forming a flat base. The timber is of fair quality and will in time be valuable, [38] Sa L VERS PN Sa Pinus monticola CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PINUS MONTICOLA ( SILVER-PINE, MOUNTAIN-PINE, LITTLE SUGAR-PINE, WESTERN WHITE-PINE ) A sTURDY tree, carrying heavier branches than do most pines (often with one or two very much developed), and reaching a height of 100 or occasionally 150 feet, with a diameter of from 3 to 6 or more feet. It is found at elevations of from 6,000 to 10,000 feet on the western face of the Sierra Nevada as far south as the headwaters of the Kern [41] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA River; also to some extent on the eastern slope. It attains its finest growth at the greatest al- titudes.. BARK is about 1 inch thick, einna- mon red, checked into small squarish plates. LEAVES are 5 to a cluster, blue-green, and from 2 to 4 inches long. CONES are from 5 to 10 inches long, slender, pointed, usually curved, borne on stout stems; green when growing, changing to purple; heht brown when dry; much resembling the cones of the Sugar- pine, but not half the size. The timber is al- most equal in grade to that of the Sugar-pine. [42] PORT ALLA ERE Pinus balfouriana Photograph kindly supplied by Forest Service, U. §. Department of Agriculture CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA Re-drawn from Sargent’s ‘Silva of North America,” by permission of the publishers, Houghton Miffiin Co., Boston, Mass. PoevUS BALFOURIANA ( FOXTAIL-PINE, BALFOUR-PINE ) A LITTLE-KNOWN species occurring irregu- larly and at high altitudes, at or near timber-line. Mature trees are usually about 40 or 50 feet high and from 2 to 8 feet thick. The tree is not so shapely as most pines, the branches being very unequal in length and the top of the main stem often broken or dead. It [45] CONE-BEARING TREES Or CALIFORNIA is found near the southern end of the Sierra Nevada, from the region of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River southward to the South Fork of the Kern, and occurs also in the neighborhood of Mt. Shasta and in the northern Coast Range. BARK is dark warm brown (lighter and redder in exposed situa- tions), rather thin, broken into rectangular plates. LEAVES grow in sets of 5, are about 1 inch long, stiff, bright green, curved, ar- ranged in a close, brushy manner at and near the ends of the branchlets (whence its com- mon name of “foxtail-pine”). CONES are oval, from 3 to 5 inches long, pendent from the ends of branchlets, dark purple when growing, changing to red-brown when dry. [46] > LIMBE'R-PINE Pinus fleaxilis CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA EeVvUS FLEXILIS ( LIMBER-PINE, WHITE-PINE ) A RATHER small, irregularly shaped tree, from 30 to 50 feet in height (occasionally taller), and from 2 to 4 feet in diameter, with long branches which often grow almost to the ground. It is a somewhat rare species in Cali- fornia, and inhabits only high altitudes of from 8,000 up to 12,000 feet. Its northern limit in [49] CONE-BEARING ‘TREES OF CALIFORNIA this State is Bloody Canon, east of the Yo- semite, from whence southward it occurs ir- regularly on both slopes of the Sierra Nevada and continues to the Sierra Madre, San Ber- nardino, and San Jacinto Mountains. It is also found at high elevations on the desert ranges of South-eastern Califormna. BARK of old trees is very dark brown, deeply checked into small oblong blocks. The bark of small branches and twigs is often white. LEAVES grow 5 ina cluster, are from 1 to 3 inches long, vellowish green, stiff, curved, and produced im dense tufts at ends of branchlets. CONES are pointed oval, from 8 to 10 inches long (but not often over 5 inches), stemless or nearly so, with wide, rounded seales much thickened at the tips. The small scales at the top are us- ually reflexed. Color is light olive green when growing, clear light brown when dry. They are borne often on quite small trees. WHITE-BARK-PINSZ Pinus albicaulis CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PENS ALBICAULIS ( WHITE-BARK-PINE, WHITE-PINE, DWARF-PINE, ALPINE WHITE-PINE ) A LOW-GROWING, straggling tree, seldom more than 40 feet in height, usually tak- ing the form of a group of poles leaning at various angles, and, in exposed positions, often ‘creeping in dense mats along the ground. It is the tree of the highest altitudes, appearing as timber-line is approached and continuing in dwarfed forms up to the limit of tree life, which is at about 11,000 or 12,000 feet. It is found on both sides of the crest of the Sierra [53] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA Nevada, and as far south as the San Bernar- dino Mountains. BARK is thin, gray or whit- ish, smooth except at base of stem. LEAVES are in clusters of 5, from 1144 to 214 inches long, of a clean bright green, growing in thick tufts at the ends of stout branchlets which are extremely tough and pliable. CONES are oval or nearly round, from 114 to 3 inches long, deep purple or almost black, formed of a small number of thick, blunt scales; the color changes to brown as the cones dry. BRISTLE-CONE-P INE Pinus aristata Photograph kindly supplied by Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA Re-drawn from Sargent’s ’ Silva of North America,” by permission of the publishers, Houghton Miffiin Co., Boston, Mass. EeWUS ARISTATA ( BRISTLE-CONE-PINE, FOXTAIL-PINE, HICKORY-PINE ) A RATHER small, bushy tree, seldom over 40 feet high and from 2 to 8 feet thick, of very limited occurrence in California, where it is found at high elevations on the desert ranges of the south-eastern part of the State. It is reported to grow scatteringly also on the east- ern slope of the Sierra Nevada near the Yo- semite National Park, but the writer has failed to discover it there. The tree may almost be said [57] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA to be habitually irregular in shape, the main branches being heavy and much specialized and the stem often broken, the effect largely of the stormy regions it inhabits. BARI of mature trees is dark brown, slightly reddish, and not deeply checked. LEAVES are in clusters of 5, from 1 to 114 inches long, stiff, somewhat curved, deep green, growing in dense masses for a foot or.so along the ends of the branch- lets. CONES are egg-shaped, about 3 inches long, dark red-brown when ripe, the scales tipped with rather long, sharp, thin prickles which curve toward the top of the cone. The tree is easily indentified by this peculiarity of its cone. [58] a SINGLE-LEAF-PINE Pinus monophylla CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PevUsS MONOPHY LLA ( SINGLE-LEAF-PINE, NUT-PINE, PINON ) U SUALLY a low, angular-branched tree, more like a small oak than a pine in habit of growth, and from 15 to 20 feet high; occasion- ally running up to as much as 50 feet with a crooked, spindling stem and short branches. Young trees are bushy but symmetrical, hav- ing the shape of a wide, rounded cone. The species is widely distributed over the dry des- ert slopes of the mountain ranges of Southern and South-eastern California, and is found on [61] CONE-BEARING -TREES OF CALIFORNIA the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada as far north as about the latitude of Lake Tahoe; also on the western slope in a few dry localities and on the Tehachapi and neighboring cross- ranges. It inhabits in its various localities a wide range of altitude, from 2,500 to 9,500 feet, but always under desert conditions of soil and climate. BARK is dark brown, approach- ing black, and much fissured. LEAVES are from 1144 to 214 inches long, stiff, sharp- pointed, light green, and grow singly instead of in sets of 2, 8, 4, or 5 as do those of all other North American pines. CONES are from 144 to 214 inches long, egg-shaped and _ bright green while growing, dark brown and irregu- larly globular when dry, formed of a small number of thick, blunt scales. They are borne profusely, mainly near the top of tree. Quite young trees produce -cones. ‘The seeds are large and palatable, and are used by the In- dians for food: they are also sold in fruit-stores as ““pinon-nuts,”’ FOU R=LEAE-P UME nus parryana CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA mow US PARK Y ANA Also called Pinus quadrifolia ( FOUR-LEAF-PINE, PARRY-PINE, NUT-PINE, PINON ) A SMALL, trim tree, branching thickly and to the ground, very similar in general ap- pearance to P. monophylla, but unlike it in usually keeping its formal shape when past maturity. ‘The branches divide and subdivide to an unusual degree, curving upwards and giving the tree a dense, bushy appearance. It rarely exceeds 30 feet in height and 114 feet [65] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA in diameter. ‘The species is interesting by rea- son of its very limited habitat, beg found (in the United States) only on the mountain ranges of extreme Southern California, south of San Jacinto Mountain, and there only scat- teringly, though it is more plentiful in northern Lower California. In range of altitude it over- laps the upper limit of P. mono phylla——n that region about 4,000 feet. BARK of the trunk is rough and dark reddish brown; that of branches and twigs is ight gray. LEAVES are generally in sets of 4, but occasionally ap- pear in 8s or 5s. (The unopened clusters at the ends of twigs may easily be mistaken for single leaves, and this, with the general like- ness of tree and cone to the mono phylla species, may lead the unwary into error.) ‘They are from 1 to 124 inches long, curved, and pale green. CONES are egg-shaped or round, 1144 to 2 inches long, consisting of a few thick, ir- regular scales, and bearing large, edible seeds similar to those of the monophylla, and, like them, a valuable article of food to the Indians of the localities where the tree is found. [66] gee . , . ‘ i $ ane W Bot a Poe Abies concolor A young tree CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA meat Ss CONCOLOR ( WHITE-FIR, BALSAM-FIR, WHITE SILVER-FIR ) A very handsome, straight, spire-shaped ~ ™ tree with short branches, from 150 to 200 feet in height and 5 to 6 feet in diameter. It is remarkable for its perfect symmetry when young and for the extreme regularity of its branching, the twigs and branchlets forming graceful horizontal sprays. It grows freely on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, and to some extent on the eastern, at elevations of [69] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA from 4,000 to 8,000 feet, and is common in the mountains of Southern California at some- what higher altitudes, continuing into Lower California. BARK of mature trees is dark ashy gray, thick, much roughened when old. LEAVES are from °4 to 2 inches long, pale green, set usually in flat, lateral rows, herring- bone fashion, but often found turning upwards on the topmost branches and sometimes on others. CONES are from 38 to 5 inches long, evlindrical, growing upright on the upper and outer branches. They are pale dull green in color and break up while on the tree. The fohage of both this and the following described species, dA. magnifica, is strongly fragrant. The timber is of good quality but is not yet much used. [70] READ Sarin fica ves magni Ab CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA . SS Y : Sow = LZ SA ROSs Petre S MAGNIFICA ( RED-FIR, BALSAM-FIR, MAGNIFICENT SILVER-FIR ) A TREE almost exactly similar in general habit of growth to the preceding (A. con- color, WHITE-FIR), and even its superior in size and stateliness, fully deserving its specific name. It grows often to over 200 feet in height and up to 8 or 9 feet in diameter. ‘The original single top is frequently broken off and replaced by several upright spars, themselves often dead. It is commonly found with the White-fir but does not (except in its north- ern range) descend below 6,000 feet elevation [73] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA while it extends up to 10,000 feet. It is not found in the mountains of Southern California. BARK is dark smoky red or purple in color, thick, deeply furrowed. LEAVES are from 14, to 1 inch long, growing all around the twigs but curving up so that they stand upright like thick short grass. The mature foliage is dark green, the new young growth delicate silvery hight green. CONES are from 5 to 8 inches long, cylindrical, at first light green but ripen- ing to purple on the sunward side. They grow upright on the top and outer branches and break up while still on the tree. A variety of this species known as shastensis is found on Mt. Shasta and on the high peaks at the southern end of the Sierra. It is distinguished by the protruding bracts of the cone-scales. The tree vields a good quality of timber. [74] tn i ¢ ; ww DO Cra ACs eile inten. Pseudotsuga taxifolia es) An CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PSEUDOTSUGA TAXIFOLIA Also called P. douglasii or P. mucronata. ( DOUGLAS-SPRUCE, DOUGLAS-FIR, HEMLOCK, RED-FIR ) A TALL, straight, slender tree, varying (in California) from 150 to 200 feet high and from 4 to 6 feet in diameter when full grown, but reaching still larger size in the great for- ests of Oregon and Washington, of which it is the most prolific and valuable tree and where it is commonly called Red-fir by lumbermen. In Northern and Central California it grows us- ually mixed with other conifers, at altitudes of from 2,000 to 7,000 feet. It is found on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and in the Coast Range. In the mountains of Southern California a different species, Pseudotsuga [77] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA macrocar pda, BIG-CONE SPRUCE, takes its place, and is usually the first of the coniferous trees met in ascending them. It is not so large as the northern species, seldom exceeding 80 feet in height and 3 in diameter, but more widely and heavily branched. BARK (of both spe- cies) is dark smoky brown, often very thick and roughly furrowed. LEAVES are from 3/, to 114 inches long, growing singly on trail- ing feathery branchlets. When leaf-buds first open the young foliage is bright yellow-green, changing later to dark blue-green. CONES of northern species are from 2 to 414 inches long; of southern, from 314 to 7 inches; both long-oval and bright green when growing: round-oval and dark brown when dry. Both | these trees are clearly known by the long, pro- truding, 3-pointed bracts which grow between the shell-like scales. The lumber of the north- ern species is the “Oregon pine” (so-called) of commerce, the most useful and valuable of Western forest products. The bark is used considerably in tanning. The tree is known to live for several hundred years, and is, next to the two Sequoias, the largest of American trees. [78] INC ENS E-CE DAR Libocedrus decurrens A young tree CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA LIBOCEDRUS DECURRENS ( INCENSE-CEDAR, POST-CEDAR, WHITE-CEDAR, BASTARD-~ CEDAR ) A DISTINCTIVE, handsome tree of up to 125 feet height but seldom over 100 feet, with a diameter of from 3 to 6 feet. Old trees spread much at the base and are almost always dead in their tops, with one or more heavy up- right limbs standing up parallel to the main stem. Young trees form very symmetrical, dense pyramids, branched almost or quite to the ground. The tree is found mixed with [81] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA other conifers on the western slope of the Si- erra Nevada (and on the eastern in a few lo- calities in the north) at altitudes of from 2,500 to 7,000 feet. It grows also in the Coast Range and in the mountains of Southern California at from 3,000 to 8,000 or 9,000 feet, and continues into Lower California. BARK is cinnamon red, ridged vertically, smooth and lustrous, and may be stripped off in long plates or thin ribbons. LEAVES are minute, scaly bodies, growing in continuous series and form- ing flat, ferny sprays of rich design and color, which is a deep yellowish green. CONES are slender, vase-shaped, from % to 1 inch long, formed of (apparently) 2 scales. They are vel- lowish when ripe, drying to reddish brown. Bark, foliage, and cones are exceedingly fra- grant. The timber is very durable and is valu- able for many purposes. [82] . =x ‘ wma : . » os z 7 ' E i : r | ; f - é - . +3 . ; ~ - « , _ ‘ ‘ | ’ a. ae os ; 5 Nee = “ 1 3 . - ' t ma — ~ + ’ ‘ y . - : - mtg t: > + » Be , s ~ 7 : ' # . 2 IN TAIN-HEM b Oeas MO T'suga mertensiana A group of young trees CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA PseuUvGA MERTENSIANA Also called 7’. pattoniana ( MOUNTAIN-HEMLOCK, SIERRA-HEMLOCK, BLACK-HEM-~- LOCK, PATTON-SPRUCE, HEMLOCK-SPRUCE ) A vERY beautiful and variable tree, which ~“ when young much resembles the “Hima- laya-pine ” (Cedrus deodara) often grown in gardens. At its best growth it is a straight, slender tree with a height of 100 feet or more and a diameter of 3 or 4 feet; but in the high regions it inhabits it seldom grows more than 50 feet high, often branching from the ground, frequently much bent and stunted. sometimes [85] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA prostrate. ‘The growth of the young tree is particularly graceful, the leaders and the tips of the branches fragile and drooping. It is found at altitudes of from 7,000 to 11,000 feet (somewhat lower in the northern part of the State), and grows on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada as far south as the South Fork of King’s River. (Said to have been found also on San Jacinto Mountain.) BARK is usually grayish brown but on quite old trees often bright red-brown. LEAVES are short, from 14 to 84 inch in length, rather thick, growing in close tufts all along the branch- lets. The mature foliage is of a dark, sombre hue, but the young growth has a charming sil- very color. CONKS are oval, 34 to 2 inches long, on stems, usually purple when ripe but sometimes yellow-green, resembling large ol- ives, and are borne very profusely. As they dry they change to brown and the scales are often reflexed. ‘The tree grows slowly, and is believed to be very long-lived. [ 86 ] a i F i : j Lt as . ! < Ss ; ‘ u tie) in ma” } \ a rh y ~ : Pe r) j ae a a eae * 9 ‘ A 3 Mion pa one 5 sy 4 : } ay »,, A | i 5 | y ¢ i m "ee d Le BIcG PF RE, Sequoia gigantea A very old tree known as “Grizzly Giant,” in the Mari- posa Grove CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA SHQUOIA GIGANTEA Also called S. washingtoniana or S. wellingtonia ( BIG-TREE, SEQUOIA, REDWOOD ) HE famous Big-Tree of California, the greatest of trees, and of an age that ex- tends to thousands of years (certainly to 4,000, possibly much more). It grows only on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, in a number of isolated localities of which the most northerly is in Placer County and the most southerly in ‘Tulare County, at elevations be- tween 5,000 and 8,500 feet. Full-grown trees reach an average height of from 250 to 300 feet with a diameter of from 25 to 30 feet measured close to the ground (perhaps one-third less if measured above the swell of the base). A few [89] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA trees exceed the largest of these dimensions. Mature trees have usually 100 to 150 feet of the stem clear of branches. The top takes the shape of a rounded cone, or dome. BARI is soft, from 1 to 2 feet thick, brignt cmnamon- red, grooved vertically, and formed of thin flaky layers. LEAVES are small, scaly, and bract-like, dark blue-green in color, growing in branching sprays which form loose drooping bunches or tassels. CONES are small, round- oval, from 114 to 214 inches long, pendent on stout stems, and formed of a small number of scales which are diamond-shaped at the ex- posed ends. They are yellowish green in color, becoming dull coffee-brown when dry. Nearly all of these trees are now enclosed for preservation in National Parks. The Redwood of the lumberman is a dif- ferent and more abundant species, S. semper- virens. It inhabits the seaboard and the Coast Ranges and is not found in the Sierra. It grows to an equal or even greater height, but does not attain quite the girth nor the enorm- ous age of the Sierra species. [ 90] . L « i - Pe = = - s esa, ’ “ ~. | is 4 , a % ae ae Na iby a lental SL Be ia J ils iperus ocel Jun CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA JUNIPERUS OCCIDENTALIS ( SIERRA-JUNIPER, WESTERN-JUNIPER ) A VARIABLE tree, usually short and stumpy, often twisted into grotesque shapes, with a few thick limbs making the tree wider than it is high. In sheltered places it is more con- ventional in growth, but it is rarely over 30 feet high, though sometimes as much as 60 feet, and is of great diameter, up to 6 feet or more, tapering rapidly as the heavy limbs are given off. It grows scattered on bleak mountain ledges at from 6,000 to over 10,000 feet (lower in its northern range), on both slopes of the Sierra Nevada, and continues southward to the [93] CONE-BEARING TREES Ok CALIFORNTA San Bernardino Mountains and _ possibly through the San Jacmto Mountains into Lower California. BARK is about 1 inch thick, bright brown-red, smooth, fibrous, strip- ping off in ribbons. LEAVES are minute and scaly, set in lines with a braided appear- ance, sage-green in color, growing in branch- ing tufts. BERRIES (technically “ cones ’’) are small, round or oblong, about 14 inch in diameter, blue-black, covered with bloom. 'The wood is fragrant and cedar-like, and the tree lives for many hundred years. A slightly different species, J. californica, CALIFORNIA-JUNIPER, grows throughout Cen- tral and Southern California, generally at low elevations, inhabiting mainly the desert slopes of the mountains and extending into Lower California. The tree is similar in habit but smaller than J. occidentalis, the bark grayer and more grooved, and the berries larger, up to 14 inch in diameter, and reddish in color. Another species, J. communis, DWARF- JUNIPER, 18 found on Mt. Shasta and the northern Sierra Nevada as far south as Bloody Canon Pass, at high elevations. It is a shrub, with dark, red-brown bark, bristly leaves much [ 94] CONE-BEARING TREES OF CALIFORNIA larger than the minute leaves of other juni- pers, and oval, blue-black, sweet berries. Still another species, J. utahensis, DESERT- JUNIPER, grows at high altitudes in the desert ranges of South-eastern California. It is a low, bushy tree, with ashy-gray bark and a small. sweet, blue-black berry. | 95 | é i" 2, a /- | fj N, ~- fy f r ", Fi hy A a iP = e iM a ie on Vi yw io A hy ; ot ee ae i Me fh Pi yee td - . iG Mary ta a ¥ J é ‘Sali \ ~ b Pont i ¥ com % 70 ; (ey ‘) ; it se shee te a ; ee ee oe ve aA Ne SiN . Men ye i ie ty _ ; Ms a | Fe me vi se - 36 hikes) j ‘ / ‘ 7 » u , Key : ! - 4 i INDEX Abies concolor | grandis magnifica venusta Arborvite Big-cone-spruce Bis-tree . Bristle-cone-fir Bristle-cone-pine Chamaecy paris lawsoniana Coast-hemlock Coulter-pine Cupressus bakeri goveniana macnabiana macrocar pa sargentit Digger-pine Douglas-spruce Four-leaf-pine Foxtail-pine Grand-fir Incense-cedar Jeffrey-pine Juniperus californica ce communis ce occidentalis ee utahensis 68-70 VII 12-74 VII es WEE 78 88-90 VII 56-58 VII VII 24-26 VII VII VII VII =, ER 28-30 (6-78 64-66 44-46 VII 80-82 20-22 9 4 94 92-94: 95 pA ES Knob-cone-pine Libocedrus decurrens Limber-pine Monterey-cypress Monterey-pine Mountain-hemlock Picea breweriana “ sitchensis Pinus albicaulis aristata attenuata balfouriana contorta coulteri + “flemilis jeffreyi lambertiana monophylla monticola muricata murrayana parryana ponderosa ponderosa var. jeffreyt quadrifolia radiata sabiniana torreyana tuberculata Port Orford cedar 98) a4 - 82-34 - 80-82 48-50 ‘VII VI 84-86 VII VII 52-54 56-58 33 44-46 Mis ae . 24-26 48-50 oA he 12-14 80, 60-62, -Go.,Ge 40-42 ae BG-a6 64-66 16-18 20-22 65 oe 28-30 A ae 32-34 Wit LN. Prickle-cone-pine Pseudotsuga douglasi macrocarpa : mucronata taxifolia Red-cedar Red-fir Scrub-pine Sequoia gigantea ec sempervirens ce washingtoniana “-wellingtonia Sierra-juniper Silver-pine Single-leaf-pine Sitka-spruce Sugar-pine Tamarack Thuja plicata Torrey-pine Tsuga heterophylla c¢ mertensiana Se) pattoniana Weeping-spruce White-bark-pine White-fir Yellow-pine DE [99] VI Bitae 7 A (erage: ahead 10708 SM NCLE 72-74 Vic oe 88-90 90 89 89 92-94 40-42 30, 60-62 apie! 12-14 36-38 VII VI 2 a NaEL 84-86 85 51. WEE D2=oe 68-70 16-18 .. it 5 aie : 7 pre ycm oP co ote pes 4 si P > hy i a > D, Sie N 3 * “' , av, ¢? h 4 { 4 * - 1 ' . . [ . tg fa éy i> Bet 191F> ty Sku, eos ee a ai ae. Pht F s ~ : - , t . \ gb by , aa {> pe cane * 4 " ‘ x Ag 7 =" RLY Py ze ’ eet 44 \2> hud < =f? ‘ a — v + S - . > ¢ J ‘ oe Nala as <4 ts 4 tte At Tree et ra be peed ng te px ete be pee -