LXXVJI. CONIFERiE: PI CEA, 



1043 



This is said to be a finer tree than the common silver fir, fi-om its silvery 

 leaves and abundant strobiles. The branches are dense, about 2 in., scarcely 

 ever 3 in., thick, and regularly disposed ; the lower horizontal, the upper 

 springing at a more acute angle. At from 14- to 17 years old the tree begins 

 to bear fruit at top. When full-grown, the whole crown is covered, from a 

 fourth part of its height, with large, conical, erect strobiles, solitary or in 

 twos or threes, and coated over witii a resinous exudation. The seeds ripen 

 about the end of September, when they immediately fall off with the scales, 

 the axis often remaining for the whole year. The wood is harder than that of 

 the common silver fir. The male catkins have not been seen. The female 

 strobiles are sessile, or on very short peduncles, erect, 5 in. long, and 2h in. 

 in diameter. Rachis 2 or 3 lines thick, gradually attenuated, ligneous, rough 

 with tubercles spirally disposed for the insertion of the scales. There are 

 12 or 13 of these spiral lines, each containing 8 tubercles in its circumvolution, 

 making a total of about 100 florets, or 200 seeds, in each strobile. Scales 

 closely adpressed ; superior (Jig. 1950. a, c) cup-shaped, narrow at the base 

 for about 2 lines in length, then suddenly dilated into a lamina, at first straight 

 and of 3 lines broad, afterwards greatly expanded, somewhat recurved, and 

 nearly U in. in breadth, which is also the length of the scale itself; inferior 

 (^g. 1950. b, d) much shorter, lamina with a subreniform base, triangularly 

 crenate. Lateral margins of the lamina eroded, dentate, upper entire ; inner 

 surface slightly keeled, outer smooth. 

 Bract adnate to the narrow base of 

 the scale, then free, about a line 

 broad at the middle, spreading by 

 degrees into a lamina, rarely ovate, 

 often cordate, reflexed at the apex, 

 and incumbent on the lowe scale; 

 mucro \h line long ; lamina equal to 

 the scale in length. Nuts two, trian- 

 gular ovate, I^ line long, above a little 

 broader, smooth. Wing obliquely ex- 

 panded b}' degrees to ^ in. in length 

 and breadth, membranous ; inner 

 margin straight, and close to the 

 other wing {fig. 1951. c). This 

 species is suf^ciently distinguished 

 from Picea balsamea and P. sibirica 

 by the size of the strobile, and long 

 reflexed point of the bractea ; and it 

 differs still more from Picea pecti- 

 nata, in the shape of the bract, and 

 its upward curved lines. 



i 5. P. (p.) Pi'CHTA. The Pitch 

 Silver Fir. 



Synnnymes. Pinus P'lchta Lodd. Cat. ed. 



1836 ; P. sibirica Ucrt. ; J'bies sibirica Lede- 



bour Icon. PI. H. Ross. t. 499., Li'niil. in 



Penny Cyc, No. 2. ; A. Pichta Fischer ; 



Picbta, Russ. 

 Engravings. Led. Icon. PI. Fl. Ross., t. 499. ; 



and our fig. 1951 . 



Spec. Char., S,-c. Leaves solitary, 

 tetragonal, dark green. Cones 

 cylindrical, erect. Scales cuneate- 

 obovate, rounded at the apex, 

 quite entire, convex externally. 

 A tree of the middle size. Altai 

 Mountains, at an elevation of 

 4000 ft., where it forms whole 



3x 2 



1951. P.{^.)P(chta. 



