198 THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



deciduous; mountain woods; Southern Switzerland, 

 Lombardy, Bavaria, Dauphiny. 



4. Abies, DC. 



Resembling Pinus ; but the leaves solitary; always 

 evergreen. 



A. excelsa, Poir. {Pinus Abies , L.), Spruce Fir; leaves 

 numerous, somewhat 4-edged, cone cylindrical, pendant, 

 scales denticulate; mountain woods, frequent. A. pecti- 

 nata, DC. {Pinus Picea^ L.), Silver Fir ; leaves pectinate, 

 silvery-white beneath, cones erect, with blunt adpressed 

 scales; mountain woods, frequent. 



Order CIH.— GNETACE^. 



Flowers unisexual, monoecious or dioecious ; male 

 flowers with a tubular membranous perianth; otherwise 

 resembling Coniferce. A very small order, chiefly of 

 Tropical plants ; no alpine species. 



I. Ephedra, L. 



Dioecious; stems slender, jointed; leaves very small, 

 scale-like, in whorls at the joints. 



E. helvetica^ Mey. {distachya^ L., vulgaris^ Rich.); 

 stem 1-2 feet, female catkins appearing, when ripe, like 

 red berries ; rocky places ; Valais, Dauphiny, very local, 

 but often abundant (Sion). 



