118 



FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



tinge, or clear chrome-yellow green ; sometimes purple. They vary from about 

 3? to 4| (sometimes nearly 5) inches in length. The bracts attached to the backs 

 of the cone-scales are rather narrow and oblong, broad and squarish at the free 

 end, which has a small point extending from its center. The seeds (fig. 44, o) 

 are a dingy yellow-brown with shiny, clear, rose-tinged wings. Seed-leaves, 6. 

 Wood, light, soft, rather coarse-grained, whitish to light indistinct brown; 

 straight-grained; works easily, is strong and hard enough to be useful for saw 

 timber, for which it is used to some extent. Many large trees are affected with 

 " punk rot " or are wind shaken. 



Longevity. — It grows rapidly in height and diameter for the first 50 to 100 

 years, after which it grows slowly to an age of about 350 years. The limits of 

 its age are not fully known, but very probably the largest trees are not over 350 

 years old. A tree 80 inches in diameter showed an age of 285 years, and one 60 

 inches through was 307 years old. 



Fig. 44. — Abies concolor: u.seed. 



Mountain slopes from southern Oregon through California into Lower California, and 

 from Nevada, Utah, and southern Colorado through Arizona and New Mexico. 



Oregon. — West side of Cascades southward, from about Township 22 south (head- 

 waters of Willamette River, where it is rare at approximately 2,000 feet, but reported 

 north of this at Fish Lake, tributary of McKenzie River), to headwaters of Umpqua 

 and Rogue rivers ; farther south, occurring at 3,000 to 6,000 feet elevation. Northern 

 limits on east side of Cascades not known, but occurs on Matoles Creek southeast of 

 Mount Jefferson, at 4,000 to 7,500 feet (south of T. 12 S.). Reported from southeastern 

 slopes of Mount Hood. On Mount Mazama (Crater Lake) down Anna Creek to 5,000 feet. 

 Extends westward in Siskiyous to coast ranges ; eastward, north of Upper Klamath 

 Lake, throughout forested upper Klamath River basin, at elevations above 5,000 feet, to 

 mountains on east side of Warner Lake, at 7,700 feet. Noted on upper Deschutes River, 



on Paulina Creek, near Paulina Lake ; Warner Mountains, with and above yellow pine, 



