CHARACTERISTICS OF SPRUCE TREES 105 



itself), or terminally as on the Hondoensis, it may 

 be said with accuracy that they do not quite assume 

 a strict pendulous habit, though they make a good 

 try for it. 



These are some of the generic characteristics of 

 the Spruces, and now we approach the question 

 of the best method of reducing identification 

 difficulties. 



There are fifteen of the true Spruces (Eupicea) 

 enumerated by Elwes and Henry, for the most part 

 recognized and naturalized habitues of Great Britain. 

 These fifteen are divided into three groups, consisting 

 one of seven, another of two, the third of six. It 

 seems as if the determining factor of their arrangement 

 was based upon the pubescent condition of their 

 branches and branchlets. Thus, the members of 

 Group I are returned as glabrous, or non-pubescent. 

 One only, the P. Bicolor — we cannot explain his 

 presence, we can only apologize for it as a little rift 

 within our lute — has slipped into this group without 

 complying with the condition. 



Group III is composed of Spruces whose branchlets 

 are all pubescent ; and as between the sheep and the 

 goats an intermediate stage of animal life exbts, 

 known as the alpaca, so also there is between the 

 pubescent and non-pubescent Spruces a betwixt-and- 

 between couplet, labelled as Group II, and adver- 

 tised as equipped only with minute and scattered 

 pubescence. 



Pubescence and non-pubescence certainly play the 

 most prominent part in the identification process in 

 a genus where (unlike the Abies) the roughness or 

 smoothness of branchlet, or apex of leaf, of a Spruce 

 counts for so little. Colour of leaf may help and 

 does help in some cases, since some of the Spruces are 

 glaucous green, or even bluish- white, others are of a 

 brighter and more yellow hue. The length of leaf 



