﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  BOTANIST 
  12$ 
  

  

  regarded 
  by 
  botanists 
  as 
  a 
  mere 
  form 
  or 
  at 
  most 
  a 
  mere 
  variety. 
  It 
  

   was 
  admitted 
  into 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Flora 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Torrey 
  on 
  the 
  author- 
  

   ity 
  of 
  Michaux. 
  He 
  gave 
  as 
  its 
  locality, 
  ''banks 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  above 
  

   Albany 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State." 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  reported 
  from 
  Glenville, 
  Schenectady 
  county, 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Pierson 
  and 
  from 
  Dexter, 
  Jefferson 
  county, 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Vasey. 
  In 
  

   August 
  a 
  single 
  tree 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  discovered 
  by 
  myself 
  near 
  Mechanic- 
  

   ville, 
  Saratoga 
  county. 
  This 
  discovery 
  is 
  more 
  interesting 
  because 
  of 
  

   the 
  proximity 
  of 
  this 
  tree 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  localities 
  mentioned 
  by 
  

   Michaux, 
  and 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  possibility 
  that 
  this 
  very 
  tree 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  

   lineal 
  descendant 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  observed 
  by 
  him. 
  Recently 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  variety 
  has 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Vandenburg, 
  

   who 
  collected 
  it 
  near 
  Fort 
  Edward. 
  

  

  Picea 
  Canadensis 
  ( 
  Mill) 
  B. 
  S. 
  P. 
  

  

  The 
  white 
  spruce 
  {Picea 
  alba 
  Lk. 
  of 
  the 
  Manual) 
  occurs 
  in 
  Minerva, 
  

   Essex 
  county. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  southern 
  station 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  

   seen 
  it. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  cones 
  still 
  remained 
  on 
  the 
  tree 
  in 
  July, 
  but 
  

   the 
  ground 
  under 
  the 
  tree 
  was 
  well 
  strewed 
  with 
  fallen 
  cones 
  and 
  the 
  

   attachment 
  of 
  those 
  remaining 
  on 
  the 
  tree 
  was 
  very 
  slight 
  and 
  easily 
  

   broken. 
  The 
  bark 
  of 
  this 
  tree 
  contains 
  bHsters 
  or 
  resin 
  reservoirs 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  balsam, 
  ^6z>^ 
  balsamea, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  less 
  prom- 
  

   inent 
  and 
  less 
  numerous. 
  The 
  resin 
  in 
  them 
  is 
  scarcely 
  distin- 
  

   guishable 
  in 
  color, 
  consistency 
  or 
  flavor 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  balsam. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  white 
  spruce 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  spruce 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  a 
  third 
  form, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  spruce. 
  I 
  

   have 
  observed 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  swamps 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dack 
  region 
  and 
  elsewhere. 
  It 
  has 
  the 
  slender 
  twigs, 
  glabrate 
  sterig- 
  

   mata 
  and 
  small 
  cones 
  ascribed 
  to 
  Picea 
  rubra, 
  but 
  I 
  hesitate 
  to 
  report 
  

   it 
  as 
  that 
  species, 
  because 
  the 
  cones 
  have 
  the 
  persistency 
  ascribed 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  spruce. 
  The 
  foliage 
  generally 
  has 
  the 
  silvery 
  green 
  

   hue 
  of 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  the 
  balsam. 
  The 
  leaves 
  are 
  generally 
  shorter 
  

   than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  spruce 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  more 
  acute. 
  The 
  tree 
  is 
  

   of 
  very 
  slow 
  growth 
  and 
  very 
  flexible. 
  The 
  question 
  in 
  my 
  mind 
  is 
  

   whether 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  spruce 
  or 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  