2618 



PICEA 



PICEA 



Section I. EUPICEA, Willk. 



Lvs. quadrangular, with stomata on all 4 sides: scales of 

 cone closely oppressed before maturity, broad and 

 entire or nearly so. 



1. Smithiana, Boiss. (P. Morinda, Link. P. Khut- 

 row, Carr.). Tree, to 150 ft., with wide-spreading 

 branches and slender pendulous branchlets: Ivs. 

 crowded, usually thicker than broad, acute, bright or 

 dark green, %-2 in. long: pistillate fls. purple: cones 

 5-7 in. long, dark brown and glossy; scales suborbicu- 

 lar, with entire margin, firm. Himalayas. G.C. II. 

 24:393; III. 35:325; 38:395. Gn. 19, p. 359; 35, p. 599; 

 39, p. 72. C.L.A. 7:364. F.E. 16:705. One of the 

 most graceful spruces; hardy as far north as N. Y. The 

 young growth starts very early and is liable to be 

 injured by frost in spring, especially when planted in 

 warm and damp situations. 



2. Schrenkiana, Fisch. & Mey. (P. obovata, var. 

 Schrenkiana, Carr.). Tall pyramidal tree, with pendu- 

 lous branchlets, somewhat similar to P. excelsa: Ivs. 



.equally 4-sided, acute, somewhat dull green, %-lH 

 in. long, on young plants often slightly shorter: cones 

 cylindric-ovate, 3-4 in. long; scales with entire margin. 

 Siberia to N. China. Similar in habit to the preceding 

 species but branchlets not so long and Ivs. shorter. A 

 very desirable and hardy spruce. Var. globdsa, Schelle. 

 About 6 ft. high, globose in shape. 



3. polita, Carr. (P. Torano, Koehne. P. bicolor, 

 Hort., not Maxim.). Tree, to 90 ft., forming a dense, 

 broad pyramid, with rigid stout branches when young, 

 older trees with the habit of P. excelsa, with somewhat 

 pendulous branches: young branches thick, glabrous, 

 yellowish brown: Ivs. rigid, thicker than broad, often 

 falcate, shining dark green, %-\ in. long: pistillate fls. 

 green, staminate yellowish: cone oblong, 4-5 in. long, 

 brown, glossy; scales with finely denticulate margin. 

 Japan. S.Z. 2:111. G.C. II. 13:233; III. 21:251. Gn. 

 13, p. 239. S.I.F. 2 :2. One of the most distinct spruces; 

 of very striking appearance with its rigid spiny Ivs. 

 spreading in all directions from the stout branches, but 

 usually of rather irregular habit. 



4. asperata, Mast. Tree, to 100 ft., with grayish 

 brown bark peeling off in thin flakes: branchlets pale 

 yellowish gray, pubescent: If .-cushions with often 

 spreading or recurved petioles: Ivs. quadrangular, 

 curved, j^in. long or slightly longer, acute or acutish 

 and beveled at the apex: cones cylindric-oblong, 3J^- 

 4 in. long, fawn-gray when ripe, finally changing to 



2942. Picea mariana (XJ4). No. 9. 



chestnut-brown; cone-scales usually rounded and en- 

 tire at the apex. W. China. A valuable timber tree. 

 Var. notabilis, Rehd. & Wilson. Lvs. %-%\n. long: 

 cones 3^-5 in. long; scales rhombic-ovate, narrowed 

 toward the apex. Var. ponderosa, Rehd. & Wilson. 

 Bark thicker, brownish gray: branchlets nearly gla- 

 brous, yellowish: cones 5-6 in. long. 



5. excelsa, Link (P. Abies, Karst. P. rubra, A. 

 Dietr. PlnusA bies, Linn. Plnus Plcea, Dur.). NORWAY 

 SPRUCE. Figs. 2940, 2941. Tree, to 150ft., with spread- 

 ing branches and usually pendulous branchlets: bark 

 reddish brown: young branches brown, glabrous or 

 pubescent: Ivs. quadrangular, acute, dark green and 

 usually shining, ^-1 in. long: staminate and pistillate 



fls. bright purple: cones cylindric-oblong, 4-7 in. long, 

 light brown; scales obovate, with erose-denticulate mar- 

 gin. N. and Cent. Eu. Em. 1 : 102. Mn. 4, p. 185; 6, p. 

 85. F.E. 15:350, pi. 50. H.W. 1:1, pp. 54-61. C.L.A. 

 11:311. G.W. 2, p. 535; 6, p. 322. Though P. Abies 

 is the correct name for this species according to the 

 rules of priority, we have retained here the name P. 

 excelsa, because Picea Abies and Abies Picea might be 

 easily confused and are certainly somewhat perplexing. 

 It seems therefore advisable to take the next oldest 

 names which are Picea excelsa for the Norway spruce 

 and Abies alba, Mill., for the silver fir. This tree is 

 extensively planted as an ornamental tree in the north- 

 ern and eastern states; it is of rapid growth and is a 

 handsome tree, with its graceful habit and dark green 

 dense foliage, but, like many spruces and firs, loses much 

 of its beauty when it grows old, and usually after 30 

 years it becomes thin and raggeu in the top. It is one 

 of the best conifers to plant for shelters and windbreaks. 

 The Norway spruce is very variable, and a great number 

 of garden forms are in cult. Some of the more impor- 

 tant are the following: 



Pendulous or sparingly branched forms of P. excelsa: 

 Var. virgata. Gasp. (var. denudata, Carr.). Sparingly 

 branched, with long and slender branches destitute of 

 branchlets, spreading, usually the lower ones pendu- 

 lous and the upper ones ascending. R. H. 1854, p. 102. 

 G.W. 3, p. 523; 6, p. 607. M.D.G. 1894:31. H.W. 1, 

 p. 63. P. excelsa var. elata, Hort., is probably a seedling 

 of this variety and an intermediate form varying toward 

 the type. Var. monstrdsa, Beissn. (var. monocaulis, 

 Nordl. Abies excelsa monstrdsa, Loud.), is an extreme 

 form of the preceding and is destitute of all branches; 

 it consists only of a single st. clothed with thick 

 rigid Ivs. Var. viminalis, Gasp. Branches in remote 

 whorls, almost horizontal, with very long and slender 

 branchlets without or with very few lateral branchlets. 

 G.W. 3, p. 433; 9, p. 411. M.D.G. 1902:257; 1906:557. 

 Gt. 38, p. 136. H.W. 1, p. 64. Var. pendula, Jacq. & 

 Herincq (var. reflexa, Carr.). With pendulous branches 

 and branchlets; whorls of branches often irregular. 

 Gt. 48, pp. 618, 619; 50, p. 315; 52, p. 434. G.W. 6, p. 

 213. R.H. 1890, p. 259. Var. inversa, Beissn. (Abies 

 excelsa inverta, Gord.). Similar to the preceding, but 

 branches more closely appressed to the st., more densely 

 branched, with thick lustrous Ivs. Gng. 6 : 100. F.E. 

 22:765. G.M. 54:976. Gn.M. 2:24. G.C. III. 22:369; 

 29:263. Gt. 50, p. 317. B.H. 10, p. 300. 



Columnar forms: Var. pyramidalis, Carr. (var. erecta, 

 Schroter). With branches ascending at an acute angle, 

 forming a narrow, nearly columnar pyramid. 

 Var. columnaris, Carr. With very short, hori- 

 zontal much ramified branches, forming a nar- 

 row column. M.D. 1911, p. 260. Var. cupres- 

 sina, Thomas, is similar. M.D. 1907, p. 252. 

 Dwarf and dense, pyramidal, subglobose or 

 prostrate forms: Var. conica, Carr. A dense 

 conical pyramid with ascending branches and 

 slender branchlets: Ivs. thin and pointed. 

 Var. Rem6ntii, Beissn. A dense ovate or pyram- 

 idal form with short and dense branches. 

 G.M. 54:222. F.E. 16:491. M.D.G. 1906:557. Var. 

 Clanbrasiliana, Carr. (Abies excelsa Clanbrasiliana, 

 Loud.). A compact roundish or broadly conical form 

 with short and crowded branches: Ivs. short and thick. 

 M.D. 1906:222. G.M. 57:634. Var. compacta, Beissn. 

 A subglobose dense form with slender branchlets and 

 acute short Ivs. F.E. 16:585, pi. 65. Var. Gregoryana, 

 Beissn. (Abies excelsa var. Gregoryana, Gord.). A com- 

 pact subglobose form densely branched, with short 

 thickish pungent lys. Var. pygmsea, Carr. A very 

 dense, small, pyramidal form with ascending branches 

 and bright green Ivs. Gn.M. 2:23. Var. nana, Carr. 

 A depressed subglobose form with dense horizontally 

 spreading branches and short sometimes monstrous 

 branchlets. Var. tabuliformis, Carr. A low flat form 



