SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE, JANUAKY 20. 



xxvii 



the altitudes of 8,950 and 9,500 feet. It was even found at an altitude of 

 11,000 feet by Mr. Purpus when collecting in Arizona. The substance 

 of the technical description is as follows : — Abies arizonica. — About 

 15 m. high ; bark a highly elastic, fine-grained cork, whitish or greyish 

 (usually creamy- white), with irregularly sinuous greyish ridges ; leaves of 

 cone-bearing branches thick, sub-triangular in section, sharp-pointed at 

 the apex, about 2 cm. long ; leaves of lower branches much longer, flatter, 

 blunt, and notched at the apex, 2-5 to 3 cm. long ; cones dark purple, 

 slender, medium, or rather small ; scales much broader than long, strongly 

 convex laterally, purple on both sides ; bract (without awn) reaching to 

 or past middle of the scale, its body much broader than long." 



Prof. Sargent places little reliance on the presence of corky bark as a 

 diagnostic character, pointing out that it occurs on other trees in the same 

 region, and is therefore probably of climatal origin. 



" Corky bark is particularly noticeable on trees on the San Francisco 

 peaks of Arizona, where a similar peculiarity characterises the bark of 

 Abies concolor and of Psendotsuga mucronata (Douglassii). Upon the 

 strength of the spongy bark of the Arizona trees^ and of some peculiarity 

 in the form of their cone-scales. Dr. Merriam established his Abies 

 arizonica. I have seen bark equally corky, however, on Abies lasiocarpa 

 in Colorado and eastern Oregon, and in southern Alberta and British 

 Columbia, and also the scales of cones produced by trees on the Blue 

 Mountains of Oregon which in shape cannot be distinguished from those 

 which grow on the San Francisco peaks." Sargent, Silva, xii. 113. 



Be this as it may, it is clear from Mr. Henkel's specimens that the 

 tree is very distinct for cultural purposes. Its whitish. Birch-like, corky 

 bark and silvery foliage, the colour of which, according to Mr. Henkel, 

 surpasses that of Picea ijungens argentea, render it very attractive. The 

 tree, as has been said, grows on the mountains of Arizona at a height of 

 from 7,250 to 11,000 feet, where it is exposed to great cold, and will there- 

 fore presumably be hardy in this country. Mr. Henkel calls it Abies 

 arizonica var. argentea. 



Australian Bhubarb. — Specimens were sent by Mr. Sutton of this 

 Ehubarb, alluded to at the last meeting. The stems were very slender, 

 about a foot long, and of a bright scarlet colour. 



Pinns austriaca attacked by Beetle. — A branch perforated by some 

 beetle was received from a resident of Fordington, Dorchester. It was 

 sent to Mr. McLachlan, F.R.S., for determination. 



Croci Species and Varieties. — An interesting series was exhibited by 

 Mr. E. A. Bowles, of Myddelton House, Waltham Cross, together with the 

 following particulars : — 



C. biflorus; — v. argenteus. — An abnormal bloom with eight perianth 

 segments and five style branches ; — v. estriatus. — The unstriped form 

 from Florence ; — v. LeiclitUni. — A small-flowered form intermediate be- 

 tween V. estriatus and v. nubi genus, pale blue, external surface of outer 

 segments yellowish, with, broad band of pale blue down the centre ; anthers 

 of a curious shade of greenish-grey. This tendency to melanism in 

 anthers of Croci of the section a)niulati of Maw was further illustrated by 

 specimens of C. Cretcei, in which the anthers are a deep chocolate, and 

 C. chrysanthus vars. fnscotiuctus and fuscolineatus, with anthers of a 



Y 2 



