SILVER FIRS. 221 



white bands between the bright green keel and thickened 

 margins on the under side, and from half an inch to an inch 

 long, and rather more than a line wide. Branches in numerous 

 spreading whorls, and much ramified, the upper ones somewhat 

 ascending at the ends, the older or lower ones slightly bent 

 downwards, rather slender, and covered with comparatively 

 small leaves. Buds large, mostly terminal, sometimes resinous, 

 and covered with loosely imbricated, light brown scales, which 

 are somewhat persistent. Cones cylindrical, erect on the upper 

 side of the two-year old branches, often four or five together, 

 very rarely solitary, and from five to eight inches long, and 

 from one and three-quarters to two and a quarter inches in 

 diameter. Scales small, reniform, stipitate, very thin, and 

 entire on the edges, of an ash-gray colour, and very deciduous. 

 Seeds soft, irregularly three-sided, with thin, membraneous 

 wings, rounded, and truncate at the top, and of a grayish red 

 colour. Bracts inclosed or hidden by the scales, scariose, and 

 of a reddish-brown colour, and nearly as large as the inner 

 face of the scale. 



It forms a very handsome, compact, conical tree, from 45 to 

 60 feet high, with the branches in whorls, and much ramified, 

 and a straight stem sixteen inches in diameter, covered with an 

 ashy gray bark slightly furrowed. 



The Numidian Silver Fir is found in the same forests as the 

 Atlas Cedar, on the top of the mountains of Babor and Kabylia 

 (the Numidia of the Romans) in the province of Constantine in 

 Algeria. 



It is quite hardy, and very distinct from Picea Pinsapo, of 

 [which some writers make it only a variety. 



No. 20. Picea Pichta, Loudon, the Pitch or Siberian Silver Fir. 

 Syn. Abies Pichta, Fischer. 

 Sibirica, Ledebour. 

 Pinus Sibirica, Stev.-del. 

 Pichta, Fischer. 

 Picea Sibirica, Hort. 

 Leaves solitary, irregularly two-rowed or scattered, and very 



