VOL. X, pp. 115-118 NOVEMBER 3, 1896 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



A NEW FIR FROM ARIZONA, ABIES ARIZONICA. 

 BY C. HART MERRIAM. 



In the summer of 1889, when making a biological survey of 

 the San Francisco Mountain region in Arizona, I discovered a 

 new fir with whitish corky bark. The scales of the cones were 

 shed before the end of September, and no perfect cones were 

 brought back. In my report on the ' Forest Trees of the Sail 

 Francisco Mountain Region ' I described this ' white cork-bark 

 fir ' under the head of Abies subalpina Engelm. [= Abies lasiocarpa 

 Hooker], with the following explanation : " I believe this tree to 

 be distinct from true A. subalpina, but in the absence of material 

 for direct comparison I am unwilling to separate it." My original 

 account of the species is as follows : " This beautiful fir, unique 

 in the color and character of its bark, is one of the most con 

 spicuous trees on San Francisco Mountain between the altitudes 

 of 2,725 and 2,900 meters (8,950 to 9,500 feet). On the north 

 side of a large butte, just south of Walker Lake crater, it de 

 scends to 2,600 meters (8,500 feet). The bark is a fine elastic 

 cork of uniform texture, and free from hard particles. It aver 

 ages about 6 millimeters in thickness and is very durable, fre 

 quently remaining intact while the wood rots away. Large pieces 

 of it, still retaining their elasticity, may be stripped from dead 

 trees and from logs upon the ground. It is sculptured by irregu- , 

 larly interrupted longitudinal depressions or grooves, and is i 

 ornamented by fine, parallel, wavy lines. Its color varies from 

 creamy white to gray, and the surface has a velvety texture. The 

 leaves are short, and the scales of the large cones are deciduous 

 while still on the tree. In fact, it was almost impossible to secure 

 a perfect cone as early as the latter part of September. * * * 



20-BiOL. Soc. WASH., Voi,. X, 1896 (115) 



