526 LXXVI. CONIFERS. [Abies. 



edge thin, sharp, r ounded. Seeds small, 2 lines long, with large spath- 

 ulate wings. 



Afghanistan, Kafiristan, Gilgit, north of the great bend of the Indus. Com- 

 mon in the Panjab Himalaya, in Jaunsar, and in the Bhagirati forests, less com- 

 mon in Kamaon. Is generally found on northern and western slopes, between 

 6000 and 11,000 ft., alone, but more commonly in mixed forests with leaf-bearing 

 trees, or associated with Deodar, Pinus excelsa, and Abies Webbiana, growing 

 500 ft. higher than Abies Webbiana on the Harang Pass in Kunawar, but generally 

 remaining below the upper limit of that tree. In lower Kunawar A. Smithiana 

 is commonly associated with Deodar ; it forms a large proportion of the Dippi, 

 Jani, and Punang forests, some of those in the Baspa valley, and of the Barang 

 forests above the mouth of the Baspa river. It does not, however, extend into the 

 arid tract, its upper limit being Pangi on the right, and the Tidong river (Rispa) 

 on the left bank. In upper Kunawar Pinus Gerardiana takes its place in the 

 Deodar forests. In Sikkim and Bhutan A. /Smithiana grows in the innermost 

 valleys between 7800 and 10,000 ft. Hardy in England and Scotland, where it 

 grows with great vigour, often grafted on the common Spruce. 



In April a flush of young light-green leaves at the tips of the branchlets gives 

 the tree a variegated appearance, the old foliage being dark green, slightly darker 

 than that of Deodar, but not so dark as A. Webbiana. The bud-scales generally 

 cohere, like a conical cap at the end of the young shoots, until they at last fall 

 off. The flowers appear in April, the young cones increase in size rapidly and 

 ripen in Oct. and Nov. of the same year. In the N.W. Himalaya the tree attains 

 100-120, and sometimes 150 ft., with a girth of 8-10, often of 12-15 ft. Dr 

 Stewart records one of 21 ft. The tree is covered with branches down to the 

 ground, except where it grows in compact masses ; the branches are whorled and 

 horizontal, spreading out farther than those of A. Webbiana; their extremities 

 are very bushy, with numerous hanging vertically, leafy, tassel-like branchlets, 

 which give the tree a peculiar and graceful appearance. The crown is tall, 

 conical, and the foliage dense. The bark is pale- or brownish-grey, tesselated 

 by shallow cracks into small irregularly four-sided scales. 



The wood is white, the outer wood turning red and decaying rapidly. It is 

 even- and straight-grained, and is good for packing-cases, planking and indoor 

 work, but as a rule not durable, except under shelter ; yet in many places it 

 is used by the hill people for shingles, and for construction. It is generally 

 somewhat heavier than the wood of A. Webbiana. The bark is used to roof 

 shepherds' huts, and water-troughs are made of it. Twigs and leaves furnish 

 litter and manure. The young cones form part of the drug sold as gaz-pipal in 

 the Panjab bazars. 



Nearly allied to A. Smithiana is the European Spruce, A. excelsa, DC. 

 Syn. Pinus Abies, Linn.; Picea excelsa, Link.; Epicea, Fr.; Fichte, Rothtanne, 

 Germ. ; Pezzo, It., extensive forests of which are found in the mountains of 

 Central Europe, in East Prussia, the Baltic provinces, Norway and Sweden, and 

 in a great part of Russia. On the south side of the Alps the Spruce forms large 

 forests in Friaul on the head- waters of the Piave and Tagliamento rivers, which 

 have from time immemorial furnished building timber to the eastern Medi- 

 terranean. The fact that most of these belong to towns and villages, has en- 

 abled the communities of these districts to build roads, bridges, and schools, 

 and has thus served largely to increase the prosperity of the country. It is 

 found in the Cansiglio forest near Treviso ; on the maritime Alps, inland of Nice 

 and Mentone, where it descends to 1800 ft. (M. Moggridge), on the north side of 

 Mount Ventoux, and on the Pyrenees, but it is wanting in Turkey, in Italy 

 south of the Euganean hills, in Corsica, and in Spain. It is not indigenous in 



