ON TREES AND SHRUBS. 



481 



horizontal, clothed with short, shining green, stiff leaves, arranged 

 -in a spiral manner, with faint silvery lines on the under-sides. A 

 beautiful tree, well adapted for the park, but unfortunately little 

 planted. A. grandis {Picea grandis), discovered by Mr. Douglas in 

 1 83 1, is a North American species, with stout spreading branches 

 and rich green leaves, silvery on the under-sides. The elegant 

 cones are cylindrical in shape, 6in. long, 2^in. in diameter, and of 

 a brownish colour. Although not exacting in its requirements as 

 to soil, it prefers a damp, 

 rich loam. A. Lowiana 

 (Fig. 307), a massive-looking 

 Californian species, bears 

 some resemblance to A. con- 

 color. It is free in 

 growth, of pyramidal 

 outline, with horizon- 

 tal, rather pendulous 

 branches, clothed with 

 long, . soft green leaves. 

 The cones are 

 borne in clusters, 

 and chestnut- 

 brown in colour ; 

 a grand tree for 

 the park. A. 

 magnified (A. cam- 

 pylocarpa, Picea 

 magnified) is of 

 fairly fast growth, 

 and a fine Conifer 

 for ornamental 

 planting. A. Ma- 

 riesii, of Japanese 

 origin, is a beau- 

 tiful Fir for the 

 lawn, perfectly 

 hardy, quite dis- 

 tinct, and spe- 

 cially useful for 

 decorative planting. It is of pyramidal habit, the vigorous 

 spreading branches being clothed with deep green leaves. 

 A. nobilis {Picea nobilis), indigenous to California, is a noble, 

 hardy Fir, with stout erect trunk, furnished with stiff 

 branches and rich green leaves, having glaucous lines on the 

 under-sides. Its attractive cones are about 6in. long, and borne 

 freely. A. Nordmanniana {Picea Nordmanniana) (Fig. 308) is 

 perhaps the most ornamental and the best known of all the 

 vigorous-growing Silver Firs. It succeeds admirably on all soils, 



Fig. 307. — Abies Lowiana. 



(Young Plant.) 



2 I 



