IP s t e Is ia 183 



couver Island, except close to the sea along the 

 west coast, where it is rare and seldom reaches 

 large size. A few miles inland, however, it 

 grows to magnificent proportions. 

 Section 5. En- Abies 



Leaves linear, flat or rarely tetragonal, sessile 

 or short-petioled, spirally inserted, but on later- 

 al branches usually twisted into a somewhat 

 two-ranked arrangement, without sterigmata, 

 leaving circular scars when they fall from the twig, 

 persistent in drying, furnished with two lateral 

 resin ducts. Bark of young tree usually smooth 

 and with numerous resin vesicles, that of older 

 trees often thick and rugose. Flowers axillary. 

 Staminate flower composed of numerous short- 

 stalked stamens, pendulous, oval or oblong, with 

 a slender, often much elongated pedicel; anther 

 sacs opening transversely or obliquely, sur- 

 mounted by a short knob-like projection or a 

 more or less orbicular crest; pollen grains with 

 bladder-like appendages. Pistillate flower short- 

 stalked, erect, usually situated upon the topmost 

 branches of the tree, the bracts much exceeding 

 the scales. Fruit an erect cone, the bracts longer 



