528 ABIES NORDMANNIANA. 



It has not been met with east of the meridian of Tiflis, its further 

 spread in that direction being prevented by the arid climate of the 

 steppes of eastern Georgia and the plain of Shirvan; it does not 

 occur north of the lofty chain of Caucasus proper, nor is it known 

 to occur south of the boundary line separating the Russian from the- 

 Persian provinces. In the central Caucasus it covers the greater part 

 of the mountain valleys from 3,500 6,000 feet elevation, almost 

 constantly associated with Picea orient alis. It also occurs under similar 

 conditions in Pontish Armenia and Lazistan and more sparingly on the 

 mountains around Trebizond, its western limit. The statement by 

 Gordon and others and inadvertently repeated in the former edition of 

 this Manual that Abies Nordmanniana is common on the Crimean 

 mountains is without foundation. 



In the wild state Abies Nordmanniana does not possess the elegant 

 and compact outline for which it is so much valued as an ornamental 

 tree in European gardens. In the damp coast region of Pontus it is 

 more or less rigidly pyramidal or even Cypress-like, but never shows 

 that luxuriant dark green as is seen in young plants under cultivation. 

 In the central Caucasus it gives the same general impression as the 

 common Silver Fir, the difference consisting only in the more slender 

 outline and in the presence of an abundance of gigantic specimens.* 

 The timber is said to be superior to that of the common Silver Fir; 

 it is used for building purposes generally throughout the Russian 

 Trans-Caucasian provinces. 



Abies Nordmanniana was introduced into European gardens about 

 the year 1848 or a little earlier, and is now well known as one of 

 the handsomest of Conifers for ornamental planting. Its merits as a 

 landscape tree and the conditions under which it thrives in this 

 country are tersely summarised' by a correspondent of the " Gardeners' 

 Chronicle " in the following paragraph : 



As an ornamental tree for landscape gardening, few can compare 

 with it for beauty of outline, symmetry, and the rich contrast produced 

 in summer by the dark glossy green of the old and the light lively 

 tints of the young foliage ; and whether planted on the lawn, or mixed 

 with other trees, it never fails to attract attention and to produce the 

 most pleasing effect. This tree is also capable of accommodating itself 

 to a great variety of soils and situations, though, like other species of 

 Abies, it prefers a strong deep loam rich in organic matter, not apt 

 to dry up in summer nor retain too much moisture in winter. It 

 thrives remarkably well in peat bogs and in hollow places where the 

 common Silver Fir suffers from late spring frosts ; in such situations 

 it stands unscathed. Cold stiff clays, poor in inorganic accumulations 

 are inimical to its growth.! 



One great advantage from a cultural standpoint, possessed by Abies 

 Nordmanniana is, that it does not commence its annual growth till 

 summer has fairly set in, when it pushes rapidly for about eight weeks, 

 completing its growth in time for the young shoots to become 

 sufficiently mature before the approach of winter to enable them to 

 endure without injury the severest frosts known in this country. To 



* Dr. G. Dieck in Gartenflora, 1891, p. 233. 



f Emerge in the Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. XVIII. (1882), p. 492. 



