38 Illustrations of Conifers. 



PICEA EXCEL8A (Link). NORWAY SPRUCE. 



Veitch's Man. Conif. ed. 2, p. 482 (1900). 



A TREE attaining a height of 100 to 150 feet and a girth of 9 to 15 

 feet. Bark thin, reddish-brown, exfoliating in thin scales. Branches 

 short, persistent on the trunk for many years even in dense woods. 



Branchlets rigid, reddish-brown or orange-red, glabrous, or with 

 scattered pubescence. Buds ovoid-conic, about J inch long, with 

 rounded scales coriaceous in margin. 



Leaves persistent for several years, those on the upper side of 

 lateral branchlets more or less imbricate and pointing forwards ; 

 those below arranged in two lateral sets ; quadrangular in section, 

 mucronate, -f inch long, green, with lines of stomata on all four 

 sides. Leaves on leading shoots radially disposed on all sides. 



Cones pendulous, cylindric, 4 - 7 inches long and 1 - 2 inches in 

 diameter ; scales sub-rhomboidal, truncate and toothed at the apex, 

 light brown. Seeds ^ inch long ; wings f inch long. 



This spruce has a very wide geographical distribution in Europe, 

 ranging from the Pyrenees in the west to the Ural Mountains in 

 the east, and north to south from Lapland to the Alps of northern 

 Italy and to the Rhodope mountains in Rumelia. It is extremely 

 variable, especially under cultivation, and numerous varieties have 

 been described. It is of great economic importance yielding a light 

 and durable wood which is generally employed for all kinds of con- 

 structive purposes, large quantities being imported under the name of 

 white deal. In Germany and Scandinavia a large quantity of the 

 wood is converted into paper pulp. 



Picea excelsa is known to have been in cultivation in Great Britain 

 since 1548, and is one of the commonest and hardiest conifers. 



There are two fine specimens at Bayfordbury measuring respectively 

 93 feet by 9 feet 2 inches and 95 feet by 12 feet 6 inches which were 

 planted in 1838. 



