154 PICEA 



herbarium purposes, it leaves at the base a peg-like stump. These leaf- 

 stumps thickly studded on the shoot are extremely characteristic of the 

 spruces, and well distinguish them from the firs (Abies). Flowers uni- 

 sexual, both sexes produced on the same tree at or near the end of the 

 twigs ; the males solitary, stalked, composed of numerous anthers. Female 

 cones nearly always pendulous, their scales persisting until they fall. 

 Seeds winged. 



There are two well-marked groups of Picea : 



1. PICEA proper. Leaves quadrangular in section, with lines of 

 stomata on all four sides. 



2. OMORIKA group. Leaves more flattened, with stomata usually on 

 the dorsal surface only. By a twisting of the leaf-base this becomes usually 

 the undermost or less exposed side. Of the species described in the 

 following notes, those belonging to th,e Omorika group are : Breweriana, 

 complanata, hondoensis, morindoides, Omorika, sitchensis. The rest are 

 of No. i group. 



The spruces have scarcely the garden value of the firs, but the following 

 are handsome and striking ; hondoensis, Morinda, Omorika, orientalis, 

 polita, and pungens, and a well-grown isolated common spruce is scarcely 

 inferior to any of them. Spruces are very frequently called " Abies " in 

 British gardens, whilst the true silver-firs, or Abies, are called " Picea." 

 This inversion of names seems to date from Loudon's time, but is 

 nowhere in vogue except in this country. It is time the true designations 

 were given to these genera, for they are easily distinguished : 



PICEA (Spruces). Leaves as described above. Cones pendent, with 

 the scales persistent on the central axis. 



ABIES (Silver-firs). Leaves flatter, often notched at the apex, not 

 falling away in drying, nor leaving the peg-like stumps of Picea; cones 

 erect, with the scales falling away from the central axis. (See also under 

 ABIES.) 



The spruces should always be raised from seeds; cuttings of some 

 species take root, and grafting must be practised for forms coloured or 

 abnormal in habit, but trees so raised are not so fine or long-lived as 

 seedlings. They like abundant moisture at the root, most of them 

 coming from regions with an abundant rainfall. If the rainfall be 

 deficient it may be compensated for by planting in a deep moist soil. 

 P. pungens is one of the best in a dry climate. Few conifers withstand 

 town conditions worse than the spruces. Many of them produce a 

 useful'timber, especially P. excelsa in Europe. P. alba is cultivated in 

 some of the northerly regions of Scandinavia too inclement for any other 

 tree to live. Some of the species, P. excelsa in particular, are attacked 

 by a gall-making insect (Chermes\ the gall being a cone-like structure 

 growing round the shoot. The best remedy is to spray with an emulsion 

 of soft soap and paraffin in late March and April. 



Of species not given detailed notice in the following pages, mention 

 may be made of the two following, neither of which is of any importance 

 in gardens : 



P. GLEHNII, Masters. Originally discovered in the island of Saghalien 

 by Schmidt in 1861. A tree up to 100 ft. high, the branchlets downy between 



