122 



THE CONIFEROUS PLANTS OF ITALY. 



but nowhere on the whole chain of the Apennines. This tree is 

 also verj'^ common in Scandinavia, especially to tlie east of the 

 mountains, where it is found as far as 67" of latitude in the Sar- 

 matian and German plains, and also on the mountains surround- 

 ing the Alps to the north and to the east, from the Vosges to the 

 Carpathians. According to Benthani, it occurs on the Pyrenees ; 

 but it does not grow even on the mountains in the coimtries sur- 

 rounding tlie Mediterranean. The tree found in the north of 

 Asia, which is somewhat analogous to Abies excelsa, is, accord- 

 ing to Ledebour and Link, a different species (^Picea ohovata). 



2. Abies pectinata. D. C. 



The Silver Fir is found over all the Alps from east to west 

 (Baldo, Dorso d'Abramo, Val Bregaglia, Spliigen, and in the 

 Alps of Piedmont [Allioni]). It is principally found at a height 

 of from 2000 to 4000 feet, but it occurs as low as 1000 and as 

 high as 4500 feet. Like the last species, it is found on the Eu- 

 ganeans (llua). 



It grows on the whole chain of the Apennines from north to 

 south (Monte Scavone [Flor. Tic. ii. 195], Cimone, Alpi Apuane, 

 Falterona, Camaldoli, La Vernia, Montaniata [Savi, Alb. di Tosc. 

 1. 156]; Lionessa, Monte di Ascoli, Gransasso, Monte Vergine 

 [Tenore, Sylloge, 477] ; Monte Pollino, La Sila [Tenore, 

 Geogr. Phys., 76], Aspromonte). The height at which this tree 

 is found varies in the north of this chain from 1000 to 4200 

 feet, and in the south from 2000 to 5500 feet (Monte Pollino). 

 From a communication made by Tineo, it is also found on the 

 Madonia in Sicily, 



Tlie Silver Fir occurs on the northern slope of the Alps, and 

 on the mountains of the middle of Europe ; but it is not found 

 in the Sarmatian plains nor on the mountains of the north of 

 Europe. Its northern limit appears to be 57° lat. ; it is only 

 planted in the Harz. It is found on the Pyrenees (Bentham), 

 but most probably on no other mountains of Spain. This tree 

 is common on the high mountains of Greece (Sibthorp), and 

 occupies a whole region, according to Chaubard, on Taygetus. 

 The Silver Fir of the north of Asia is another species, Abies 

 sibirica (Ledebour), as is perhaps the Caucasian species. 



III.— LAPvIX. 



1. Larix europ^a. Nouveau Duhamel. 



The Larch is spread over, and forms forests in, the upper re- 

 gions of the Alps from east to west (Tagliamento, Piave, Baldo, 

 Dorso d'Abramo, Stilfserjoch, Legnone, Val Bregaglia, Malog- 

 gia, Spliigen, Simplon, Mont-Cenis, Col de Tende). Its proper 



