THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



5 to 6 feet; it is globose or rounded in habit and has 

 much-shortened and close-set branches, branchlets, 

 and leaves. It originated on the Moira estate near 

 Belfast about the end of the i8th century and was 

 introduced into England by Lord Clanbrassil, hence 

 its name. A diminutive variety is Gregoryana 

 which seldom grows higher than 2 feet; its branches 

 and branchlets are very numerous, short, and spread- 

 ing and are thickly clothed with short, stiff leaves 

 spreading obliquely from all sides. The var. pygmaea 

 is equally small and its branches and branchlets are 

 excessively shortened; the leaves are very small, 

 prickly, and close set. Of dense conical habit is the 

 var. fumila and its leaves, spreading from all sides of 

 the branchlets, are dark green and glaucescent. 

 Lastly, mention may be made of var. dumosa in 

 which the branches are quite prostrate and furnished 

 with many slender branchlets clothed with rather 

 distant, short leaves. For general purposes the 

 varieties Clanhrassiliana and Gregoryana are the 

 best and they rank among the most useful of dwarf 

 Conifers. 



Of the native Black Spruce (P. mariana) there is a 

 variety (Doumettii) which is compact and pyramidal 

 in habit and seldom more than 10 feet high and of 

 bluish colour. There is also an interesting dwarf 

 form of the Blue Spruce (P. pungens). This origi- 



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