Illustrations of Conifers. 15 



ABIES LASIOCARPA (Nuttall). ROCKY MOUNTAIN FIR. 



Gardeners' Chronicle, Vol. V. p. 172 (1889), with figs. 



Veitch's Man. Conif. ed. 2, p. 616 (1900). 



Trees of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. IV. p. 800 (1909). 



A TREE 80 to 175 feet high and 15 feet in girth. Bark of young trees 

 silvery grey, becoming in old trees fissured and scaly, or occasionally 

 corky and white. Branchlets ashy-grey, pubescent. Buds small, 

 globose, conic, resinous. 



Leaves on lateral branches irregularly pectinate or with most of 

 the leaves directed upwards, those on the middle line above covering 

 the shoot, those below pointing forwards and downwards, linear, up 

 to 1 inch long, apex rounded and entire or slightly notched. Upper 

 surface grooved with conspicuous lines of stomata on each side of 

 the groove ; lower surface with two broad bands of stomata giving 

 the foliage a glaucous appearance. 



Cones cylindric, rounded, truncate, or depressed at the apex, 2 to 4 

 inches long by l inch in diameter, dark-purple and downy, with 

 the bracts concealed. Scales variable in shape, but usually longer 

 than broad, gradually narrowed from a broad rounded apex to a 

 short cuneate base, from inch long by inch wide to ^ inch long 

 by 1 inch wide. Bract quadrangular or orbicular with a long slender 

 mucro. Seed inch long with dark purplish shining wings which 

 vary in length. 



This is the most widely -distributed fir of western America, and is 

 essentially an Alpine species. It ranges from about lat. 61 N. in 

 Alaska to the San. Francisco Mountains in northern Arizona. In the 

 west it extends to the summits of the Olympic Mountains in Wash- 

 ington and in the east to the mountains of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, 

 Colorado and Utah. It descends to 2,500 feet in northern British 

 Columbia and ascends in Colorado to an altitude of 10,000 feet. 



This species was discovered by Douglas in 1832, but the date 

 of introduction is uncertain. It is rarely seen in collections, being 

 apparently not suited to the English climate. 



The Bayfordbury specimen is now 14 feet high and coning. The 

 illustration is from a photograph kindly sent from Washington by 

 Mr. Gr. B. Sudworth. A young plant of the var. arizonica, adult trees 

 of which are remarkable for the creamy white colour of the corky 

 bark, was added in 1907. 



