44 Native Trees of Canada 



branches have a tendency to droop sHghtly and then turn up at the ends. The 

 lower branches on old trees often hang down, causing the crown to appear wider 

 near the middle than at the base. 



The bark is rather thick for a fir and often cut by narrow furrows into hard, 

 sharp, homy ridges. On young trees it is smooth and brown with whitish patches. 

 It is marked with resin blisters. 



The leaves, like those of the hemlock, appear to grow from opposite sides of 

 the branch and are 1 J^ to 2}/i in. long. In the upper part of the tree they are not 

 quite so long and are usually more crowded and bristling in their arrangement. 

 Like the leaves of other firs these are stalkless, flat, usually notched at the tip, and 

 conspicuously white on the underside. On vigorous shoots they are sometimes 

 four-sided. 



The buds are blunt and covered with resin. 



The cones are 23^ to 4 in. long and 1 to 1/^ in. in diameter. They are 

 yellowish-green in colour and stand erect on the branch. 



This tree is not of great commercial importance in Canada. Where utilized 

 it is mixed on the market with the other western species. 



ABIES AMABILIS (Dougl.) Forbes AMABILIS FIR 



Common names: Amabilis fir, red fir, alpine fir, larch* (British 



Columbia). 

 French name: Sapin gracieux. 



The amabilis fir extends from Alaska southward through the whole length of 

 British Columbia but is mostly confined to the western slope of the Coast range 

 and to Vancouver island. It grows on the lower slopes, benches, and flats on well- 

 drained, gravelly sand or sandy loams. Occasionally it is found in pure stands but 

 more often mixed with Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western white pine. 



The amabilis fir grows 150 to 170 ft. high and 3 to 4 ft. in diameter. In the 

 forest it has a short, conical crown, but in the open the crown extends to the ground. 

 The branches towards the bottom of the crown droop markedly. 



The bark is thin, grey, smooth, and unbroken except in very large trees. It 

 is conspicuously marked with large, white patches. 



The twigs are yellowish-brown, minutely hairy, and scarred with the marks 

 left by the bases of the fallen leaves. The winter buds are rounded and covered 

 with resin. 



The leaves are about \}/i in. long, stalkless, flat, notched at the ends, and whitish 

 beneath. They have the appearance of being pulled around toward the upper 

 side and are closely pressed together to form a stiff, fuzzy branch. 



The cones are 4 to 5 in. long and 2 to 2^ in. thick, and dark purple in colour. 

 They stand upright on the branch. 



