488 ABIES. 



Besides the twenty-four species here enumerated, Maximovicz has 

 described two others in the "Bulletin de 1' Academic imperials de St. 

 Petersburg," which he discovered in Manchuria. One of these, Abies 

 nephrolepis, is without much doubt a continental form of A. Veitchii ; 

 the other, A. holophylla, cannot from the description and the imperfect 

 herbarium specimens preserved in this country, be referred to any 

 known species, although it may be either A. firma or A. liomolepis. 

 Three hybrids are reported ; one raised artificially in France by the 

 late Henri de Yilmorin, between A. Pinsapo and A. ceplialonica ; a 

 second is described by Carriere in the " Revue horticole " for 1890, 

 page 230, under the name of A. insiynis, and is supposed to have 



Fig. 125. Abies bracteata. 1, Stamiimte flower nat. size ; 

 2 and 3, side and front view of anthers before 4 and 5, after 

 dehiscence x 5. 6, Pollen grain x 120. 



originated from the accidental fertilisation of an ovuliferous cone of 

 A. Pinsapo by pollen of A. Nordmanniana growing near a nursery at 

 BulgneviUe ( Yosges ) ; and lastly a supposed natural hybrid between 

 A. lasiocarpa and A. amabilis was detected by Professor Sargent 011 

 the Olympic mountains in north-west Washington. 



The Silver Firs are distributed through the northern hemisphere 

 from the Pacific coast of North America eastwards over both 

 continents to Japan, but generally -speaking, they occupy a more 

 southern zone than the Spruce Firs with which they are in places 

 associated. The only species which spread into sub-arctic lands are 

 Abies lasiocarpa and A. balsamca in America, and A. sibirica and 



