PICEA. 143 



Gen. PICEA. B071. The Silver Firs. 



Flowers, monoecious, or male and female on the same plant, 

 but separate ; the male catkins axillary or terminal ; the female 

 ones solitary, on very short branchlets, and cylindrical. 



Cones, erect, cylindrical, or nearly so, axillary, and growing 

 on the upper side of the branches. 



Scales, deciduous, or falling off when ripe from the axile of 

 the cone, which remains persistent on the branches. 



JBracteas, dorsal, and either enclosed by or projecting beyond 

 the scales. 



Seeds, somewhat triangular, full of turpentine, two under each 

 scale, covered with a soft tegument, and furnished with an 

 ample persistent, membranaceous wing, more or less wedge- 

 shaped. 



Seed-leaves in fives. 



Leaves, solitary, flat, pectinated more or less in two rows, 

 persistent and silvery below. 



Name derived from * pix,' pitch, — the trees producing abun- 

 dance of resin. 



All trees, found in Europe, Asia, North America, and Mexico. 



Section I. BRACTEATA, or those kinds with the 



BRACTEAS ON THE CONES NOT HIDDEN BY THE SCALES, AND 

 EITHER PROJECTING OR REFLEXED. 



No. 1. PicEA BALSAMEA, Loudon, the Balm of Gilead Fir. 

 Syn. Abies balsamifera, Michaux. 

 „ „ minor, Duhamel. 

 „ „ balsamea. Miller. 

 „ Pinus balsamea, Linnceus. 



Leaves, solitary, entire, or emarginated at the end, irregularly 

 two-rowed, or scattered round the leading shoots, spreading. 



