PINACEiE 93 



Abies chensiensis, Van Tieghem. 



A Chinese fir attaining 120 feet in height allied to A. firma 

 and A . Beissneriana, characterised by its relatively long, shining 

 green leaves, glabrous, yellow-grey branchlets, ovoid, slightly 

 resinous winter buds and ovoid-cylindric pale brown cones. It 

 appears to be a well marked species which superficially resembles 

 Keteleeria Davidiana in its winter buds and foliage. 



Discovered in the Tsinling mountains, Shensi, by David, in 

 1872, and since seen in the forests of Fang Hsien by Wilson, who 

 states that it is a comparatively rare tree in that region. Not in 

 cultivation. 



PL Wils. ii., 44 (1914). 



Abies cilicica, Carriere. (Fig. 14.) 

 CiciLiAN Fir. 



Abies Rinzi, Hort. ; A. selimisia, Carriere ; Pinus cilicica, Parlatore. 



A tree up to 100 ft. high and 7 ft. in girth. Bark ashy-grey, 

 smooth, becoming deeply fissured and scaly on old trees. Young 

 shoots smooth, greyish-brown, with short, scattered hairs or 

 occasionally without hairs. Winter buds ovoid, without resin, 

 the scales keeled and free at the tips. Leaves arranged either in 

 two lateral sets, or more or less covering the upper side of the 

 shoot also, the central leaves shorter and more or less erect ; slender, 

 1-1^ in. long, linear, flattened, apex rounded or short-pointed, 

 slightly notched, upper surface light green and grooved, lower 

 surface with two narrow greyish bands of stomata ; resin canals 

 marginal. Cones sub-sessile or shortly stalked, cylindrical, taper- 

 ing to a short-pointed apex, 6-9 in. long by 2-2|- in. wide, smaller 

 in cultivated specimens; scales large, fan-shaped, If in. wide by 

 f in. long ; bracts hidden, ^| the length of the scale, mucronate. 

 Seed-wing about 1 in. long. 



A. cilicica resembles A. Nordmanniana in the arrangement of 

 the foliage, but the leaves are less crowded on the shoot, narrower, 

 more or less pointed at the apex, and the buds are rough with the 

 prominent tips of the scales. 



The Cilician fir is a native of Asia Minor and N. Syria, where it 

 occurs on Mount Lebanon and the Antitaurus associated with the 

 Cedar of Lebanon in extensive forests. It was introduced into 

 cultivation about 1850, but is still very rare in gardens. 



Little is known of the wood of this species, but it appears to 

 be very similar to that of A. Nordmanniana. The Cilician fir 

 may be expected to thrive under similar conditions to A. 

 Nordmanniana, but it is not so susceptible to insect attacks. 



Elwes and Henry, loc. cit. iv, 744 (1909). 



