The mountains of California . e Oaks and thickets of ceanothus and manza-nita; its extreme upper limit being about 4000 feetabove the sea, its lower about from 500 to 800 feet. This tree is remarkable for its airy, widespread,tropical appearance, which suggests a region ofpalms, rather than cool, resiny pine woods. No onewould take it at first sight to be a conifer of anykind, it is so loose in habit and so widely branched,and its foliage is so thin and gray. Full-grownspecimens are from forty to fifty feet in height, andfrom two to three feet in diameter. The trunkusually divides into three o
The mountains of California . e Oaks and thickets of ceanothus and manza-nita; its extreme upper limit being about 4000 feetabove the sea, its lower about from 500 to 800 feet. This tree is remarkable for its airy, widespread,tropical appearance, which suggests a region ofpalms, rather than cool, resiny pine woods. No onewould take it at first sight to be a conifer of anykind, it is so loose in habit and so widely branched,and its foliage is so thin and gray. Full-grownspecimens are from forty to fifty feet in height, andfrom two to three feet in diameter. The trunkusually divides into three or four main branches,about fifteen and twenty feet from the ground,which, after bearing away from one another, shootstraight up and form separate summits; while thecrooked subordinate branches aspire, and radiate,and droo23 in ornamental sprays. The slender. THE FORESTS 147 grayisli-groen needles are from eight io twelveiiielies long, loosely tasseled, and inclined to droopin handsome curves, contrasting with the stiff, dark-. NUT IlNi; (IINIS SAIJISIANA). (•oldfcd tniiilc ;iiid l)raiicln> in ;i \«iy strikingiiiainicr. Xo ! Imt tree ot ni\ acnnlicains sift tliioui;-h 148 THE MOUNTAINS OF CALIFOKNIA even the leafiest trees with scarcely any interrup-tion, and the weary, heated traveler finds but littleprotection in their shade. The generous crop of nutritious nuts which theNut Pine yields makes it a favorite with Indians,bears, and squirrels. The cones are most beautiful,measuring from five to eight inches in length, andnot much less in thickness, rich chocolate-brown incolor, and protected by strong, down-curving hookswhich terminate the scales. Nevertheless, the lit-tle Douglas squirrel can oj)en them. Indians gath-ering the ripe nuts make a striking picture. Themen climb the trees like bears and beat off the coneswith sticks, or recklessly cut off the more fruitfulbranches with ha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectcaliforniadescriptio
