Fig. 111, Cone and seed. Fig. 112, Leaf-fascicle and magnified leaf-section. Fig. 113, Pollen-sacs and connective magnified.
10. PINUS EXCELSA
- 1824 P. excelsa Wallich ex Lambert, Gen. Pin. ii, 5, t. 3.
- 1845 P. nepalensis De Chambray, Arbr. Résin. 342.
- 1854 P. Griffithii McClelland in Griffith, Notul. Pl. Asiat. iv, 17; Icon. Pl. Asiat. t. 365.
Spring-shoots glabrous. Leaves from 10 to 18 cm. long, drooping, serrulate; stomata ventral only; resin-ducts external but often with a medial ventral duct. Connective of the pollen-sacs large. Cones from 15 to 25 cm. long, narrow-cylindrical; apophyses tawny yellow or pale fulvous brown, prominently convex, the umbo against the apophysis beneath; seeds with a long wing.
A tree with gray-green drooping foliage, found, with some interruptions, along the Himalayas. It furnishes resin, tar and wood of considerable value. It is cultivated in all temperate climates and is a familiar tree of American and European gardens. Madden states that the foliage of P. excelsa is sometimes erect and is occasionally bright green. Such variations are often met in other species of Pinus. Usually the drooping gray-green foliage and the peculiar cone are sufficient for the recognition of this species. The not infrequent presence of a medial duct and the large connective are valuable aids for identifying it.
Fig. 108, Cone and seed. Fig. 109, Leaf-fascicle and magnified section of two leaves. Fig. 110, Pollen-sacs and connective magnified.
