10 HAiRDY CONIFEROUS TREES. 



on which it is found to be designated the Black Mountains, 

 giving, as it does, the sombre hue for which they are justly 

 remarkable. In this country the tree succeeds well on peaty 

 soils, especially where a small quantity of loam has been added 

 previous to planting. Rarely, however, is it a satisfactory 

 species unless in the juvenile state. 



A. grSin^iS, Lindley. Tall Silver Fir. {Synonyms: — 

 Pinus grandis, Douglas ; Picea grandis, Loudon.) Van- 

 couver's Island to California, near the coast; western slopes of 

 Rocky Mountains. 1831. — This is a truly handsome conifer, 

 and one that is well adapted for ornamental planting, the 

 soft rich green foliage, densely branched stem, and symmetri- 

 cal habit, being recommendations that are rarely so well 

 combined in one species. The branches of A. grandis are 

 usually arranged in flat, horizontal tiers, with the tips slightly 

 upturned, and are, more particularly the branchlets, glabrous, 

 and of a light, pleasing green. The leaves are of unequal length, 

 arranged on the lower branches in double, and those near the 

 top in treble, rows, the lower series of leaves being longer 

 than the upper, or from i\ inches to fully 2 inches in 

 length. They are usually bifid at the ends, but this I have 

 noticed is more particularly the case in the foliage of the 

 branches near the top of the tree, channelled above, and with 

 two silvery lines beneath. The cones are bronzy-green, 4 

 inches long by rj inches in diameter, almost cylindrical, usu- 

 ally in pairs,^ and seated close to the stem, or," in other 

 words, devoid of foot-stalks. The cone bracts are entirely 

 hidden by the overlapping scales. The bark is smooth, and 

 of a dull green when young, but becomes dark grey and 

 rough when the tree has advanced in age, and filled with 

 receptacles of clear, highly fragrant resin. The timber pro- 

 duced in this country is of excellent quality, being weighty, 

 resinous, and the concentric rings firmly packed. The largest 

 specimen which I have had cut down was, exclusive of the 



■^ This is, however, not always the case, as I have noticed the cones in clusters 

 of from five to seven in number. An excellent drawing of a cluster of five cones, 

 from specimens sent by me from Penrhyn Castle to the editor of the Gardener's 

 Chronicle, will be found in the Linnean Societies^ Journal, vol. xxii. 



