PINACEAE. — PICEA 23 



Picea Abies Karsten. In mature trees the horizontally spreading branches are 

 sHghtly decurved but upturned at the ends. Old trees are very spire-like in ap- 

 pearance. The bark is greyish-chestnut and rough, and peels off in thin irregularly 

 shaped flakes. The young shoots are pale yellowish-grey, often slightly pruinose, 

 and change to brown and finally to grey. The degree of pubescence on the shoots 

 varies considerably and the peg-like petioles may be ascending-spreading, spread- 

 ing or recurved. The cones vary from 8-12 cm. in length, are fawn-grey when 

 ripe changing to shining chestnut-brown with age, and are retained on the tree 

 for six months or so after they are mature. The cone-scales exhibit considerable 

 variation in shape, being either rounded, or even slightly truncate, to rhombic at 

 the summit. The winter buds are the same in all the specimens, being conical, 

 and often much swollen at base. The bud-scales are thin, loosely imbricated, 

 free, inclined to be recurved at the summit. Although the variation in different 

 characters is considerable, yet with abundant material before us we cannot dis- 

 tinguish more than one species among the numbers cited. The timber resembles 

 that of the Picea Abies and is esteemed for general building purposes in the region 

 where the tree grows. Some of the trees are very glaucous in appearance, hence 

 the colloquial name " Yiin sha " (Cloudy Fir). Pictures of this tree will be 

 found under Nos. 0289, 0303, 0308, 0314, 0318, 0327 of the collection of Wil- 

 son's photographs. 



Picea asperata, var. notabilis Rehder & Wilson, n. var. 



A typorecedit foliis majoribus 12-20 mm. longis, strobilis 9-12 cm. 

 longis, squamis praesertim inferioribus rhombico-ovatis, apicem versus 

 attenuatis et paullo productis apice interdum leviter emarginatis. 



Western Szech'uan: west of Kuan Hsien, Pan-lan-shan, forests, 

 alt. 2600-3800 m., June 1908 and October 1910 (Nos. 2068, type; 

 4067; tree 15-35 m. tall, girth 1.5-3 m.); Chiu-ting-shan, east of 

 Mao-chou, open coimtry, alt. 2000-2500 m., May and October 1908 

 (No. 973; tree 10-20 m. tall, girth 1-2.5 m.). 



This variety differs from the type chiefly in the shape of the scales which are 

 more or less rhombic-ovate in outline and gradually narrowed toward the apex, 

 or sometimes abruptly contracted at the apex, not rounded, except the upper 

 scales which are sometimes rounded. The scales resemble in shape somewhat 

 those of P. montigsna Masters, but differ in color and texture. In No. 973 the 

 scales are less elongated and the cones somewhat larger. 



A picture of this tree will be found under No. 142 of the collection of Wilson's 

 photographs and in his Vegetation of Western China^ No. 340. 



Picea asperata, var. ponderosa Rehder & Wilson, n. var. 



A typo recedit cortice crassiore briinneo-cinereo, ramulis glabris 

 V. fere glabris luteis, pulvinis tumidioribus apice supra petiolum 

 producto acuto, strobilis majoribus 12-14 cm. longis. 



Western Szech'uan: west of Kuan Hsien, Pan-lan-shan, forests, 

 alt. 3000-3300 m., October 1910 (No. 4068; tree 25-35 m. tall). 



This handsome variety is remarkable for its large cones which in size rival 

 those of P. morinda Link. 



