PINACE^ 345 



other spruce in spite of the enervating conditions of a hot dry soil 

 and an impure atmosphere. 



Wood close-grained, compact, yellowish, easily worked, finish- 

 ing with a good surface, and suitable for the same purposes as P. 

 excelsa. 



The Servian spruce may be grown in Britain under similar 

 conditions to P. excelsa, and in a young state makes better progress 

 at Kew than that species. It is an excellent ornamental tree 

 and is worth planting under forest conditions, provided seed can 

 be procured at a rate that will allow young plants to be produced 

 at the same price as Sitka spruce. 



Elwes and Henry, loc. cit. i, 78 (1906) ; Clinton -Baker, Illust. Conif. ii, p. 43 

 (1909). 



Picea orientalis, Carriere. (Fig. 78.) 

 Oriental Spruce. 



Abies orientalis, Poirct ; A. Wittmanniana, Hort. ; Finns orientalis, 

 Linntevis. 



A densely branched tree of p3nramidal habit, attaining in the 

 Caucasus 180 ft. in height and 12 ft. in girth. Bark of trunk 

 brown, eventually exfoliating in thin scales. Young shoots 

 slender, pale brown, densely hairy. Buds conic, acute, with 

 chestnut-brown scales. Leaves arranged on the shoot like those 

 of the common spruce, overlapping above, pointing forwards and 

 concealing the shoot ; those below spreading right and left and 

 leaving the shoot bare ; very short, |-| in. long, quadrangular 

 in section, dark green, shining, bevelled, blunt or rounded at the 

 apex, with one to four Hues of stomata on each surface. Cones 

 narrower than in the other species, cylindric, but tapering at 

 each end, short-stalked, 3-4 in. long, |-1 in. wide when closed, 

 purple when growing, brown when ripe ; scales obovate, tapering 

 at the base, i-} in. wide, the upper margin rounded and entire. 

 Seed blackish, | in. long, with a wing ^ in. long. 



Var. aurea. 

 Foliage yellowish. 



Var. nana. 

 Habit dwarf, compact. 



Var. pygmaea. 

 Habit dwarf, compact, carpet-like. 



The Oriental spruce is a very distinct species, easily recognized 

 by its pale brown hairy shoots and short, blunt, glossy leaves. 



As a native tree it is widely spread in the mountain ranges of 

 Asia Minor, Armenia, and the Caucasus, at altitudes varying from 



