144 PICEA ; OR 



flat, silvery beneath, and briglit, deep green above, three- 

 quarters of an inch long, and thickly set on the branches. 

 Cones, cylindrical, slightly tapering to both ends, erect on the 

 upper part of the branches, four inches long, and one inch and 

 a half broad, of a violet colour, and without any footstalks. 

 Scales, rounded above, six-eighths of an inch broad, and the 

 same in length, entire on the exposed part, and smooth. 

 Bracteas rather short, erect, and projecting half the length of 

 the scale, rounded in the middle, and terminated with rather a 

 long, sharp point. Seeds, very small, angular, soft, and only 

 half the size of those of the Common Silver Fir, with a broad, 

 ample wing. 



A small, pyramidal tree, seldom growing more than thirty or 

 forty feet high, even in America, and one foot in diameter. 



It is found in Canada, Nova Scotia, New England, and other 

 Northern States of America, also on the Grandfather Mountain, 

 in North Carolina. 



The stems of this Fir produce by incision the Balm of 

 Gilead, or Canadian Balsam, used in medicine and the arts. 



There are the following varieties : — 



PiCEA BALSAMEA LONGIFOLIA, Loudou. 



Syn. Abies balsamea longifolia, Endlicher. 



This variety has much longer leaves and more upright 

 branches, and was first brought into notice by Messrs. Booth, 

 of Hamburg. 



PiCEA BALSAMEA VARIEGATA, Knight. 



Syn. Abies balsamea variegata, Hort. 



This variety only differs in having a portion of its leaves of a 

 whitish colour intermixed along with the usual green ones, 

 which gives the tree a variegated appearance. 



