. American forestry. Forests and forestry. THE TORREY PINE By Eloise Roorback CALIFORNIA is distinguished forestrally, for the frequency of what the botanists call Arboreal Islands—localities pre-empted by a single species of tree, surrounded by a distinctly different flora. Groups of trees of an entirely local character dot the flora of the state as an ocean is dotted with islands. Some of these tree islands occur inland, of which the Se- quoia Gigantia (or Washingtonia) is a notable example. But the greater ntimber are strictly littoral. The Mon- terey Pine is a fine illustration of such an
. American forestry. Forests and forestry. THE TORREY PINE By Eloise Roorback CALIFORNIA is distinguished forestrally, for the frequency of what the botanists call Arboreal Islands—localities pre-empted by a single species of tree, surrounded by a distinctly different flora. Groups of trees of an entirely local character dot the flora of the state as an ocean is dotted with islands. Some of these tree islands occur inland, of which the Se- quoia Gigantia (or Washingtonia) is a notable example. But the greater ntimber are strictly littoral. The Mon- terey Pine is a fine illustration of such an island, being the dominant tree of the Monterey Peninsula and confined ex- clusively to this very limited area. Monterey and Gowan cypress, Bishops and Knob-cone pine, Santa Lucia fir, Catalina Ironwood and the Torrey pine (Pinus Torreyana) form other con- spicuous examples. The Torrey pine is restricted to a small tract at the mouth of the Soledad River, just within the northerly limit of San Diego's extensive city limits, and to a few on the Santa Rosa Island, which is one of the Santa Barbara group. These are its only known stations. The San Diego island con- tains a roughly estimated two thousand of these isolated survivors of an ancient forest that are making a last brave fight for racial continuance. Upon an arid cliff, overlooking the salt marshes of the river, buffeted by swiftly driving winds from the sea, they stand at bay. Some cling pluckily, with long bark covered roots, to the steep walls of sandstone knowls. Some have heavily buttressed their precariously leaning trunks, bracing against the inevitable as wrestlers thrust out a foot when, resisting an antagonist. Some, foiled by the winds, of their natural endeavor to reach, tall and straight to the skies, sweep the earth with prostrate crown— their reverent genuflection to a higher power. Some are recimibent, creeping along the ground as vines creep, dragging full ripened cones through the rifts of sand. A fe
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectforestsandforestry
