174 



ABIES 



ABIES 



dian balsam, or bals;\in of tir, is olitaiiied from tlio bark; 

 in cult. K>S(>s its beauty t»arly. \"ar. column^ris, llort. 

 Branches very short, tunieti upwiird at tlie ends. Var. 

 hudsdnia, I'-ngebn. (A. huJudnica, Hort.), is a dwarf 

 fonn. V;ir. lutescens, Hort. Lvs. wliite, yellow or 

 stni\v-c<.)lort>l when exposetl to the sun. 



7. Fraseri, I'oir. 8he B.\ls.\m. Tree, 3()-50 or even 

 70 ft.: trunk reaching 2' 2 ft- in tliani.: lvs. flat, ob- 

 tusely short -pointwl, twisted at the bii.se so as to appear 

 to be cr^iwdixl on the u|>per side of the branches, dark 

 green and lustrous: cones oblonp-ovate or nearly oval, 

 rounded at the slightly narrower apex, purple, 2' 2 in. 

 long and 1 in. thick, the scales twice aa wide as long, 

 and at maturity nearly half covered by the ends of the 

 pale reflexetl bracts. Mts. of 

 \a., Tenn., and N. C. S.S. 

 12 : (m. G. V. 2 : 475. — Too 

 much like the balsam fir to be 



prizetl as an ornamental tree. 



Trees sold under this name are kMK^-^ Ji^^SSi:;*'"'* 

 nearly always forms of .1 . bal- 

 samm. Very short-lived in cult. 





■r^ 



61. Cones of Abies. — From 

 bottom to top, A. concolor, A. 

 Nordmanniana, A. magnifica. 



8. grandis, Lindl. (.4. amdhilis, Murr., not Forbes. 

 A. GoTdonmrm, Carr. P'lceu grdnilis, Loud.). Fig. 60. 

 Tree, 200-300 ft.: trunk becoming 4 ft. in diam.: lvs. 

 thin and flexible, deeply grooved, very dark green above 

 and silverj- white beneath: con&s cylindrical, 2-4 in. 

 long, rounded or retu.se at the apex, the broad scales 

 somewhat squarro.se and irregularly serrate and fur- 

 nishefl with a short point. Coast of N. Calif, to Van- 

 couver Isl. and to the western slopes of the Rocky Mts. 

 of Mont. S.S. 12:612. Gn. .38, p. 291. G.C. II. 1.5:179, 

 181. R.H. 1894, p. 274. — Occasional specimens are 

 Been in choice grounds, but it rarely does well in the 

 eastern states. 



cc. Foliage pale blue or glaucous. 



9. cdncolor, Lindl. & Gord. (A. Lf/wiarui, A. Murr. 

 A. F'aTionxuirui, Hort., the Pacific form). White Fik. 

 Fig. 61. Tree, 100-2.50 ft.: trunk 4-6 ft. in diam.: 

 IvB. elongatwj, stomatiferous on the upper surface, on 

 fertile branches often falcate and thickened and keeled 

 above; rjmca oblong, gray-green, dark purple or 

 bright canary-yellow, .'i-.O in. long; bracts shorter than 

 their scales. W. N. Amer. from S. Ore. to Low. Cahf. 



and to Utah, S. Colo., New Mex., Ariz, and Sonora. 

 S.S. 12:013. G.C. II. 13:649; II. 1.5:661; III. 8:748, 

 749; III. 3.5:,59.— Of all fir trees, the Colorado form 

 best withstands heat and drought; very hardy, grows 

 rapiilly, and the most desirable of the genus in the east- 

 ern states. The form from the Pacific coast is less 

 hardy and less desirable in the E. as an ornamental 

 tree. Seedlings of the Colorado form, with rather 

 longer and more glaucous leaves, are found in nurseries 

 ati A .cfiiirolor violaccn. Var. afirea, Beiss. Young shoots 

 golden yellow in May, afterward becoming silver-gray. 

 Var. brevifolia, Beiss. Lvs. short and obtuse, twice as 

 broad as in typical form. Var. falcata, Niem. Lvs. 

 sickle-shaped, curved ujiward. Var. globosa, Niem. 

 Plant spherical, with symmetrical small branches. 



BB. Lvs. pointed, especially on main shoots, 

 and usually rigid. 



10. Veitchii, Lindl. (.4. nephrdlepis, Maxim.). 

 Tree, 80-100 ft.: trunk 3-4 ft. in diam.; branch- 

 lets slender, pubescent: lvs. crowded, dark green 

 and lustrous above, silvery white below: cones 

 cylindrical, slender, dark purple, 2-2J^ in. long; 

 bracts shorter than their scales. Mts. of Cent. 

 Japan; gregarious and forming great forests, 

 coast of Manchuria. G.C. II. 13:273.— Very 

 hardy in the northern states, and when young is 

 one of the most beautiful of fir trees. 



11. brachyphylla, Maxim. Tree, 80-100 ft.: 

 trunk 6 ft. in diam.; upper branches long and 

 vigorous, ultimately forming a broad, round- 

 topped head: lvs. elongated, sharp-pointed, dark 

 green and very lustrous above, silvery white 

 below: cones cylindrical, stout, dark purple, 

 3-3}/2 in. long; bracts much shorter than their 



scales. Mts. of Cent. Japan, singly or in small groves. 

 B.M. 7114. — Very hardy, and when young one of the 

 most desirable of the fir trees for the northern states. 



12. cephalonica, Loud. Tree, 60-70 ft.: trunk 2-4 

 ft. in diam.: lvs. broad, rigid, sharp-pointed, standing 

 out from the branches at right angles: cones cylindrical, 

 slender, pointed, gray-brown, 5-6 in. long; bracts 

 longer or rarely shorter than their scales. Mt. Enos, on 

 the Isl. of Cephalonia. Gng. 6:49. G.W. 5, p. 15; 12, 

 p. 399; 14, p. 538. — Doubtfully hardy in northern states. 



Var. Ap611inis, Boiss. {A. Apdllinis, Link), with nar- 

 row and blunter lvs., is remarkable in its power to pro- 

 duce vigorous shoots from adventitious buds. Mts. of 

 Greece and Roumelia; often gregarious; more hardy 

 than the type in the northern states. Page 3565. 



13. Pinsapo, Boiss. Spanish Fir. Tree, 70-80 ft.: 

 trunk 4-6 ft. in diam.: lvs. short, broad, rigid, sharp- 

 pointed, bright green, spreading from all sides of the 

 stiff branchlets: conos cylindrical, slender, gray-brown, 

 b\-2-% in. long; bracts shorter than their scales. 

 Mts. of Cent, and S. Spain; often gregarious. G.C. III. 

 21:407; 29:65; 31:407.— Not hardy north of the 

 middle states. 



AA. Nobiles. Lvs. blue-green, often glaucous, stoma- 

 tiferous on both surface.'!, flat or 4-sided on sterile 

 brandies, 4-sided acute, incurved and crowded on 

 fertile branches. 



14. nobilis, Lindl. {Plcea ndbilis, Loud.). Red Fir. 

 Tree, 1.50-2.50 ft.: trunk 6-8 ft. in diam.: lvs. on lower 

 branches grooved above, rounded and emarginate at 

 the apex: cones oblong-cylindrical, purphsh or olive- 

 brown, 4-6 in. long; bracts much longer, thin and cover- 

 ing the scales, strongly reflexed, pale green. Cascade 

 and Coast Mts. of Wash, and Ort . ; often gregarious. 

 S.S. 12:617. G.C. II. 19:15; III. 20:275.- There is a 

 var. gla^ca in the trade. 



15. magnifica, A. Murr. Red I'ir. Fig. 61. Tree, 

 200-2.50 ft.: trunk 6-10 ft. in diam ; lvs. quadrangular, 

 bluntly pointed cm sterile and acul ^ on fertile bri> acun;: 

 cones oblong-cylindrical, purplish brown, 6-9 ii.art of 



