Abies recurvata, Masters. 



A tree 60-120 ft, high in China, with a trunk 6-15 ft. in girth, 

 pyramidal in habit, becoming flat-headed with age or in exposed 

 places. Bark roughish, dark grey to reddish brown. Young 

 shoots yellowish grey, without down, shining. Winter buds 

 ovoid, resinous. Leaves strongly recurved, shining green on both 

 sides or glaucous beneath, |-1 in. long, sharp-pointed on young 

 trees. Cones produced in clusters, oblong-ovoid, 2-3| in. long, 

 tapering abruptly below, smooth, with the bracts completely 

 hidden, violet-purple before ripening, when they become grey- 

 brown. 



Native of W. Szechuen, where it is abundant on the mountains 

 near the Min River, forming extensive forests. 



Young plants in cultivation are easily recognized by their 

 strongly recurved, sharply pointed leaves. 



Journ. Linn. Soc. xxxvii, 423 (1906); PI. Wils. ii, 44 (1914). 



Abies religiosa, Lindley. 

 Sacred Fir. 



Abies glauca, Roczl ; A. glaucescens, Roezl ; A, hirtella, Lindley ; A. 

 Lindleyana, Roezl ; A. Tlapalcatuda, Roezl ; Picea religiosa, Loudon ; 

 Pinus religiosa, Humboldt. 



This is a Central American species attaining a height of 150 ft. 

 and a girth of 15 ft. Bark greyish-white, rough, speedily becoming 

 scaly like that of a spruce. You7ig shoots furrowed, brown on the 

 upper side, oUve green on the lower side during the first year, 

 brown all round later, covered with a minute down. Winter 

 buds cylindrical, rounded at the apex, resinous. Leaves arranged 

 as in A. Nordmanniana but rather thinly set and much fewer 

 on the upper side than in that species, pointing forwards and 

 upwards, longer on the lower side of the shoot and horizontally 

 arranged ; 1-1| in. long, gradually narrowing to a blunt apex ; 

 upper surface dark shining green, lower surface with two grejdsh 

 bands of stomata ; resin canals marginal. Cones 4 in. long and 

 2 in. wide, conical, tapering from the base upwards ; blue when 

 young, changing to brown when mature ; scales broadly fan- 

 shaped, nearly 1^ in. wide by | in. long ; bracts chestnut-brown, 

 exceeding the length of the scales, terminated by long reflexed 

 scales. 



A. religiosa occurs wild throughout the mountains of Central 

 and S. Mexi o and N. Guatemala at altitudes ranging from 

 4,000-10,000 It. It was discovered by Humboldt in 1799 and 

 was introduced by Hartweg in 1838. 



The wood is scarcely known in Europe. Small sections cut 

 from ornamental trees suggest that it may be classed with 

 medium to good grades of silver fir. It is pale yellow in colour, 



