August 5, 1909 '°7 



and published anonymously in what was called the "Report of 

 the Oregon Committee," under the name of "Abies Pattoniana" 

 a name given to it by Jeffrey, in compliment to Mr. Patton, a 

 botanist of the "Cairnies," in Scotland." 



"The fruit or cone of the Alpine Western Spruce {Hespcro- 

 peuce Pattoniana) is oblong cylindrical, two to three inches 

 long, purple until maturity, then light brown; scales becoming 

 strongly reflexed at maturity, numerous, nearly all of the same 

 size, broader than long, one half inch wide, striate, with a wavy 

 or entire, thin, rounded edge; the bract on their backs closely 

 clasped, small, three or four lines long, spatulate with an atten- 

 uate tip; seeds two lines long, angular, with resin vesicles on 

 the upper side; wings large, elliptical, one fourth to one half 

 inch long, one half as wide, thin and convex; leaves scattered, 

 quadrangular (not in two ranks and flat as in the Hemlocks), 

 linear, five to fifteen lines long, a half line wide, acute, strongly 

 keeled above and below, narrowed to a slender petiole, which is 

 promptly deciduous when withering, from the persistent leaf 

 base; the latter less prominent, convex, and shining than the 

 other species; male flowers very small, in clusters at the ends of 

 the branchlets of the season, globular, three to four lines high, 

 slightly raised out of the bud scales. 



"A peculiarity of the Alpine Western Spruce is observed 

 also in the Sub- Alpine or Mountain Pine [Pin us monticola), i. e., 

 the cone scales at maturity open out and turn firmly back, dis- 

 playing their striated inner surface. The leaves, never in two 

 ranks, are often so clustered as to recall the foliage of Larix 

 (Larch), as do also the cones resemble those of that genus. 



"It is not strictly a Hemlock in appearance or characters. 

 It resembles the True Spruces and also the Larches, but is 

 abundantly distinct from all. It is in fact as here classified — 

 sui generis. 



"This step is not taken thoughtlessly, but only after a care- 

 ful study in the homes of this alpine inhabitant of the western 

 peaks, as well as of its allies, and I think that no botanist ac- 

 quainted with the Hemlocks of both the Old and the Xew World 

 will, with this alpine tree before him, doubt that it has more 



