16 



TREES AND FLOWERS OF 



(bro7vn) 



(brown) 



Fir (AHes). The true fir, known also as the 

 balsam, is not very abundant in the Park, though it 

 occurs in many widely separated localities. It is a 

 fast-growing tree, reaching a large size, and develop- 

 ing a fine, symmetrical pyramidal form. The needles 

 are somewhat flatter and softer than those of the 

 Douglas fir or of the spruce, and are so arranged that 

 they form a row on either side of the twig, instead of 

 standing out on all sides of it. The scales of the cones 

 are smoother than in the other evergreens, and are 

 rounded instead of being pointed on the ends. The 

 cones stand upright on the branches, instead of hang- 

 ing down. The bark is sticky with a gummy balsam. 



Spruce (Picea). Like the fir, the spruce occurs 

 only occasionally, and then mixed with other timber. 

 It becomes a tall tree, but tends to remain rather 

 slender and spire-shaped, especially in the thick woods. 

 Its needles are shorter, much stiffer and more prickly 

 than those of the fir, and are arranged in spiral fash- 

 ion on the twig, standing out on all sides. They have 

 a tendency to fall off, leaving the twigs rough with 

 their persistent bases. The cones are smaller than 

 those of the Douglas fir or the balsam, and hang down- 

 ward from the branches. 



