. Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory, vol. 7. Botany; Botany. 88 JOHN W. HARSHBERGER (Figs. 3 and 6) and the pinhelrlnhas, Podocarpus Lamhertii Klotzsch (Fig. 4) are the two most important species. Araucaria hrasiliana is a striking evergreen tree with its whorls of branches arranged in ascending series each branch ending in a brush of stiflF, dark-green leaves (Fig. 3). The young trees are compact and spire-shaped, while the old trees become flat-topped. The sharp-pointed, scale leaves of this conifer persist for a long time on the main trunk and impart a rough surface to it. A tree
. Contributions from the Botanical Laboratory, vol. 7. Botany; Botany. 88 JOHN W. HARSHBERGER (Figs. 3 and 6) and the pinhelrlnhas, Podocarpus Lamhertii Klotzsch (Fig. 4) are the two most important species. Araucaria hrasiliana is a striking evergreen tree with its whorls of branches arranged in ascending series each branch ending in a brush of stiflF, dark-green leaves (Fig. 3). The young trees are compact and spire-shaped, while the old trees become flat-topped. The sharp-pointed, scale leaves of this conifer persist for a long time on the main trunk and impart a rough surface to it. A tree may be 10 cm. (4 inches) in dia- meter and its trunk may be covered with the old scale leaves, the surface of which may be covered with epiphytic lichens. The cones, when mature, break up like in the northern firs {Abies), so that only a few basal scales and the pointed cone axis remain. The seeds are quite large with straight embryo having two strap-shaped cotyledons applied together and sur- rounded by an abundant reserved food tasting like raw chestnuts. A suspensor can be located at the pointed end of the seed. Only the older trees are destitute of the lower branches, while above, they become umbrella-shaped. These trees as a rule do not crowd together to produce pure growths, but they are scattered about so that the crowns of the old trees can assume their characteristic form. In this scattered growth they differ from the same species in the Brazilian State of Parana where extensive pure forests are formed with the trees massed together. On the savannas of Campos do Jordao they are abundant enough, however, to give stamp to the campos forest which might be termed appropriately an Araiicarial (Figs. 3 and 6), because of the dominance of this one species of tree. Sometimes these trees grow singly on the open campos, but if they are found in such situations the forest groves from which they have been seeded are not far away. These sentinel trees are sometimes of large size. A
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