CHAP. XII.] 



ABIETINE^. 



213 



but in rows standing out from the branches (Z>), 



and which being the same on both sides, look 



as if two had grown together to make one. 



The difference between the Pines and the Firs 



will be seen clearly by comparing 



jig. 96, which represents a branch 



of the Spruce Fir, with fig. 97, 



which represents a branch of 



Pinus pumilio, a dwarf variety of 



the Scotch Pine. 



The common Spruce Fir (Abies 



excelsa) is a tree of stately growth, 



with an erect pyramidal form, 



and numerous tiers of drooping 



branches. It is the loftiest of European trees, 



having been found in Norway 180 feet high. 



The crest of the male flower is larger than in 



the genus Pinus, as show^n at d in Jig. 98, in a 



magnified side view 

 of one of the cells 

 of a male scale (a), 

 from which the 

 pollen has been dis- 

 charged, the empty 

 case being shown 

 at c. The female 

 scales {h) have each 



a small bract at the back, and two seeds inside, 



{e) the wings of which have each a little cavity 



Fig. 98.— The Spruce Fir {Abies excelsa). 



