2 ABIES, OR 



All evergreen trees, found in the colder parts of Europe, Asia, 

 and America. 



The ancients called the Silver Fir "Abies," and the Spruce 

 Fir "Picea;" but by some inadvertence Linncev.s reversed the 

 names, and thus created great confusion in their nomenclature. 

 The English and American writers still follow Linnaeus, and 

 apply the name Abies to the Spruces, and Picea to the Silver 

 Firs : while nearly all the French, German, and other conti- 

 nental authors follow Bauhin and Du Roi, and reverse the 

 terms ; applying Picea to the Spruces, and Abies to the Silver 

 Firs. Pliny called A.bies excelsa " Picea/' and distinguished 

 it from the Silver Fir, as the " tonsili facilitate," on account of 

 its fitness to be shorn, or clipped into hedges ; and Professor 

 Link observes that the true Spruces (Abies) approach nearest 

 to that of Pinus ; and that upon close inspection still more so 

 than at a first glance. He says, " For instance, if the leaves 

 that stand singly are examined minutely, it will be seen that 

 several of them have their surface grown together, and conse- 

 quently they are in tufts, like the leaves of the true Pines ; 

 and as a proof that this is the case, it will be found that there 

 is no upper surface on the leaves of the Spruces, but that the 

 leaves present only the under-surface on both sides ; as will be 

 seen on comparing them with the leaves of the true pines. 

 The seam where the leaves are joined may be distinctly seen, 

 for it forms a line in relief on both sides of the leaves of the 

 common . Spruce, which is never the case when such line is 

 formed by the mid-rib, because it is then either on the upper or 

 under side. Some spruces have two leaves grown together, 

 others four ; the sheaths at the base of the leaves are not ob- 

 servable, but appear to have grown together in the footstalk." 

 In addition, Professor Link points out the following differences 

 between the leaves of the true Spruces (Abies) and Silver Firs 

 (Picea). The leaves of the Silver Firs, he says, " do not grow 

 together ; but are single, and have the usual form of single 

 leaves, the mid-rib being only visible on the under side ; the 

 upper one, having a furrow down the centre of the leaf, is fiat, 



