48 HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



altitude, the trees highest up on the mountain being depressed and 

 often shrubby. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood light, soft, brittle, of very close 

 grain, with small resin ducts and of an orange-brown color with 

 lighter sap-wood. Specific Gravity, 0.5434; Percentage of Ash, 0.40; 

 Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.5412; Coefficient of Elasticity, 

 59386; Modulus of Rupture, 424; Resistance to Longitudinal Pres- 

 sure, 337; Resistance to Indentation, 147; Weight of a Cubic Foot 

 in Pounds, 33.86. 



USES. Like most other trees of high mountains no particular use 

 is made of this timber, nor does it take well to transplanting for orna- 

 mental purposes from its chosen alpine home. 



GENUS PICEA, LINK. 



Leaves evergreen, scattered (not clustered at the base), sessile, joined upon a 

 persistent base, short (^ to f in.) needle-shaped, 4-angled, pointing every way and 

 all of one kind. Flowers appear in spring, monoecious; the sterile in the axils of 

 the leaves of the preceding year; anthers tipped with a recurved appendage, cells 

 opening lengthwise: fertile flowers in terminal catkins. Fruit, cones maturing 

 the first year, pendulous with scales thin (neither thickened nor furnished with a 

 spur at the apex) persistent on the axis. Otherwise quite as described for the 

 genus Pinus. 



(Picea is the ancient Latin name.) 



247. PICEA ENGELMANNI, ENGELM. 



ENGELMANN SPRUCE. ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPRUCE. 



Ger., Tanne von Engelmann / Fr. , Sapin d^ Engelmann / Sp., Abeto 



de Engelmann. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: Leaves from 1-1| in. in length, tetragonal with acute 

 callous tips, rather flexible, pointing out and forward on all sides of the branch- 

 lets, bearing 3-5 rows of stomata on each face but more conspicuously on the 

 upper, glaucous green the first season, but afterwards dark bluish green. Stam- 

 nate Flowers oblong-cylindrical, about f in. long, with pedumcle about ^ in. long 

 and with dark purple anthers; pistillate flowers oblong-cylindrical, red, about 

 to | in. in length, with erose or entire scales and small rounded or pointed den- 

 ticulate bracts. Cones usually sessile or nearly so, in abundance on the upper 

 branches, oblong-cylindrical to oval, from 1-3 in. but usually about 2 in. long with 

 very thin lustrous light brown, slightly concave striated scales, which are more 

 or less erose-dentate and generally narrowing to a truncate or pointed apex; 

 seeds about T V in. long, nearly black with light broad wings about twice their 

 length. 



The specific name commemorates the name of the distinguished physician and 

 botanist, Dr. Geo. Engelmann. 



This beautiful spruce attains the height of 150 ft. (45 m.) with 

 rather compact and regular symmetrical head and trunk 4 or 5 ft. 

 (1.50 m.) in diameter, vested in a thin bark of purplish brown color 

 which checks irregularly and exfoliates in thin friable scales. 



HABITAT. The Engelmann Spruce is pre-eminently a mountain 

 tree, being found along the slopes of the Eocky Mountains generally 



