6 Illustrations of Conifers. 



ABIES BALSAMEA (Miller). BALSAM FIK. 



Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. XVII. p. 422 (1895), with figs. 



Veitch's Man. Conif. ed. 2. p. 492 (1900). 



Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. IV. p. 808 (1909). 



A TREE 50 - 60 feet high, or sometimes taller, with a trunk 3 - 5 feet 

 in girth. Branches spreading, forming a pyramidal crown. Bark 

 greyish-brown with numerous resin blisters, becoming scaly in old 

 trees. 



Buds small, globose, resinous. Branchlets smooth, grey, with short 

 scattered pubescence, emitting a resinous odour when cut. 



Leaves on lateral branches pectinate, the upper ones shorter than 

 the lower and slightly ascending, forming a V-shaped depression, 

 linear, flattened, rounded and slightly notched at the apex, about 1 

 inch long ; upper surface dark green and shining, with interrupted 

 lines of stomata towards the tip, lower surface with two bands of 

 grey stomata. 



Cones ovoid-cylindrical, purple, 2-4 inches long and about 1 inch 

 in diameter ; scales about five -eighths inch wide and long, bracts 

 exserted or concealed. Seeds purplish, about \ inch long, with a 

 wing about the same length. 



The Balsam Fir occurs as a wild tree in Canada and the eastern 

 United States, common on low ground but occasionally ascending 

 to an altitude of 5,000 feet. 



According to Loudon it was cultivated in England as long ago 

 as 1697 ; it does not attain to any size and is not ornamental. 

 The timber has little commercial value. The transparent resin known 

 as Canada Balsam, obtained from the blisters on the bark is chiefly 

 used in the preparation of microscopic objects. 



The specimen planted at Bayfordbury in 1838 was killed in 1854 : 

 two young plants were added in 1907, one of which is now (1909) 

 coning freely. Seedlings were raised the same year from American 

 seed. 



The illustration of cones is a reproduction of a plate in Pro- 

 fessor Sargent's "Silva." The foliage is from a tree at Woburn 

 Abbey. 



