The Trees of Vermont 47 



PINACEAE 



Balsam Fir 

 Abies balsamea (L.) Mill. 



Habit. — A slender tree 40-60 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 

 12-18 inches; branches in whorls of 4-6, forming a symmetrical, open 

 crown widest at the base and tapering regularly upward. 



Leaves. — Scattered, spirally arranged in rows, on young trees at 

 right angles to the branch, on old trees covering the upper side of the 

 branch; narrowly linear, with apex acute or rounded; /4-1/4 inches 

 long ; lustrous, dark green above, pale beneath ; sessile ; aromatic. Per- 

 sistent 8-10 years. 



Flowers. — May ; monoecious ; the staminate oblong-cylindrical, 

 yellow, y^ inch long, composed of yellow anthers (subtended by scales) 

 spirally arranged upon a central axis ; the pistillate oblong-cylindrical, 

 1 inch long, composed of orbicular, purple scales (subtended by yellow- 

 green bracts) spirally arranged upon a central axis. 



Fruit. — Autumn of first season ; oblong-cylindrical, erect, puber- 

 ulous, dark purple cones, 2-4 inches long, about 1 inch thick ; seeds 34 

 inch long, shorter than their light brown wings. 



Winter-buds. — Globose, orange-green, resinous, Y^-]/^ inch in 

 diameter. 



Bark. — Twigs at first grayish and pubescent, becoming gray- 

 brown and smooth ; thin and smooth on young trunks, pale gray-brown 

 and marked by swollen resin chambers ; red-brown on old trunks and 

 somewhat roughened by small, scaly plates. 



Wood. — Very light, soft, weak, coarse-grained, perishable, pale 

 brown, with thick, lighter colored sapwood. Page 221. 



Distribution. — Common in the mountain forests throughout Ver- 

 mont, ascending to the summits of Mt. Mansfield and Camel's Hump, 

 although there it is reduced to a low, scrubby growth ; not reported in 

 the Connecticut valley south of Hartland. 



Habitat. — Cold, wet woods and swamps, in the higher altitudes. 



Notes. — The balsam fir, more familiarly known as the fir tree or 

 balsam, is a slender, graceful tree when growing in open ground. It 

 bears a general resemblance to the spruces, but is distinguished easily 

 from them on close observation. The leaves are flat, gray on the 

 under side, with a conspicuous green midrib. The erect cones, 2 to 4 

 inches long, stand like Christmas candles on the upper branches. 

 There is a characteristic fragrance from the bruised leaves and they 

 are much prized for making pillows. 



