-I. Nordmanniana, to which the geographical limits assigned 

 by Boissier are all in the mountains towards the east and 

 south-east shores of the Black Sea, including the south- 

 w. -urn spurs of the Caucasus (the provinces or districts of 

 Trebizond, Armenia, Guriel and Imeretia). 



It is obvious that, according to the above data, which I 

 have obtained from the most reliable sources, the limits of 

 some of these species overlap in a remarkable manner, and 

 which, seeing how difficult their discrimination is, suggests 

 the probability of the localities assigned to some of them 

 being erroneous. Thus, in the southern Caucasus, A. pec- 

 tinaia and Nordmanniana are said to occur in the same 

 provinces, which is very unlikely to be the case ; and I 

 hence suspect that the Caucasian A. pectinata, which is 

 referred by Ledebour to a variety of that species with 

 glabrous branches, is really A. NoramannianO, and if so, 

 Pallas is its discoverer in the last century. Again, the 

 Macedonian and Greek localities for P. pectinate being 

 those also inhabited by A. ApoUonis, suggests that the 

 latter tree was taken for A. pectinata, What the Ana- 

 tolian A. pectinata is may be doubtful, and it would be 

 very interesting to ascertain. I do not overlook the fact 

 that the Crimea has been quoted as a locality for A. Nord- 

 manniana, and that it is hence often called the Crimean 

 Silver-fir, but I know of no certain authority for this 

 locality and name. Nor is it known to me whether any 

 Silver-fir inhabits the Crimea. The nearest ally of all 

 these species is the AfFghan and Himalayan A. Webbiana, 

 which approaches A. Nordmanniana more nearly than any 

 of the more western species. 



A. Nordmanniana is a noble forest tree, attaining 150 

 feet in height, with a trunk six feet in diameter ; it inhabits 

 elevations of 2000 feet and upwards, growing with species 

 of Conjlus, Carpinus, Gornus, Philadelphia, and other Euro- 

 pean trees. It is one of the later introductions into Britain, 

 and is by far the freest grower of the western Silver-firs, 

 thriving in soils and situations where none of the others 

 succeed. The cone-bearing branch figured is from the 

 grounds of H. C. Rothery, Esq., of Kibsden, Bagshot ; 

 the smaller ellipsoid cone is from a native specimen. — 

 J.D.H. 



Fig. 1, Leaf ; 2, section of do. ; 3, ventral, and 4, dorsal view of scales ; 5, bracts ; 

 t> and /, seeds (imperfect) -.—all but fig. 2 of the natural size. 



