PINE FAMILY 



in many rows,' but often twisted into an apparently two-ranked arrange- 

 ment, remaining on the twigs for many years and when they fall leaving 

 the bark nearly smooth with round scars; buds usually round and cov- 

 ered with resin ; flowers in spring, monoecious, the staminate in the axils 

 of last year's leaves, very small, consisting of an axis bare at the I 

 and covered above with the numerous stamens, stamens with a spur- or 

 knob-like tip, pollen sacs opening transversely, pollen winged as in pine ; 

 pistillate cones erect, on the sides of the uppermost branches, the young 

 cone with long and conspicuous bracts, which may later be hidden by 

 the developing seed-bearing scales, cones ripening in the autumn of the 

 first year, at maturity falling to pieces leaving their bare axes standing 

 upon the branches; seeds winged, resinous. 



Trees of the cooler parts of the north temperate zone and of the 

 adjacent mountainous parts of the tropics; about 23 species, over one 

 half of which occur in the lands bordering the North Pacific. ( hie other 

 species occurs in eastern North America, eight in western North America. 



Abies balsamea (Linne) Miller 1768 Balsam Fir Balsam 



Evergreen tree, 7-18 m. (23-60 ft.) high; bark smooth, grayish, 

 covered with numerous blisters containing resin ; leaves resinous, very 

 fragrant, flat, blunt, 1-3 cm. long, except on the uppermost branches 

 twisted into an apparently two-ranked arrangement ; buds small globular 

 covered with a varnish-like resin; young pistillate cones purple, mature 

 cones bluish green, cylindrical, 6-10 cm. long, the bracts concealed by 

 the longer seed-bearing scales, ripening in autumn when the scales fall 

 away leaving the bare axes standing upon the branches : balsa m e a, re- 

 ferring to the abundance of balsam in the bark. 



Evergreen forests from Labrador and Newfoundland to Minnesota, 

 south to Virginia and northern Iowa. In Minnesota common in the 

 northeastern and northern parts of the state, not occurring beyond the 

 region of evergreen forests except in a few r scattered localities in the 

 southeast corner of the state. Flowers in April or May, cones ripe in the 

 autumn of the same year. 



Seldom cultivated in Minnesota. Balsam fir in cultivation is very 

 beautiful for a few years, but soon becomes thin and straggling. 



Wood light brown, soft, weak, weight 24 lb. seldom used except for 

 paper pulp; the oleoresin from the blisters in the bark is "Canada 

 Balsam" ; the fragrant dry twigs are often used to stuff sofa-pillows and 

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