2348

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART ill.

J 10. P. bractea'ta D. Don, The teafy -bracted Silver Fir.

Synonymes. Plnus bractekta Lin. Trans., 17. p. 413 , Lamb. Pin,, 3. ; P. venusta Dougl. in Comp,to Bot. Mag., 2. p. 152.

Engravings. Lamb. Pin., 3. t. 91.: and our fig. 2256. from Lambert.

Spec. Char., 8fc. Leaves 2-rowed, linear, mucronate, flat, silvery beneath. Cones ovate. Bracteoles3-lobed ; the middle division very long, leaf-like, recurved. (D. Don.) Cones 4 in. long. Bracteanearly 2 in. long. Leaves 2 in. long. A large tree, a native of California, discovered by Douglas in1832, and about the same period by Dr. Coulter, but not yet introduced.

Description, Sfc. An elongated pyramidal tree. Trunk very^straight and slender, 120 ft. high; scarcely1 ft. in diameter at base; only the upper third covered with branches. Bark chestnut-brown. Branchesverticillate, spreading; lower ones slightly decumbent Leaves crowded, scattered in insertion ; but2-rowed, linear, mucronate, flat, coriaceous, rigid; 2 in. to 3 in. long, 1 line broad ; light green, andshining above, marked with a depressed line; silvery beneath, slightly revolute on the margin;midrib and apex callous. Cones on adult branches only, solitary, lateral, almost sessile, erect, ovateturgid ; 4 in. long, and 2 in. in diameter; with numerous, ovate-oblong, acute, scarious, torn, brightbrown, revolute, persistent scales, at the base; scales kidney-shaped, roundish, concave, stalked,thick, indurated ; pale brown, incurved on the margin, crenulate, glaucous externally ; stalk sharplykeeled above, shorter than the disk. Bracteas wedge-shaped, adpressed, coriaceous, rigid; of the

same colour as the scales, but shorter ; adnate and callous below, 3-lobed at the apex : lobes lateral,very short, roundish, irregularly dentate ; middle one recurved, 1| in. long, resembling true leavesin every respect, but only half the breadth. Seeds wedge-shaped, oblong, tetragonal; exteriortesta (primine) greyish brown, disjoined, and open at the interior angle, where the nucleus isexposed, with the apex extended into the unequally sided, obovate, quite entire, thinly membrana-ceous, flat, reticulated wing. Nucleus included in a crustaceous, dark brown, proper testa (secun-dine), crowned at the apex by a very short, membranaceous ragged wing. (Don in Lin. Trans.)This curious and interesting species of fir was discovered by Douglas, in March, 1832, on the highmountains of Colombia. Dr. Coulter found it on the sea side range of Santa Lucia, about 1000 ft.lower down than P. Codlter*. The trunk rises to the height of 120 ft.; is very slender, not exceed-ing 2 ft in circumference ; and as straight as an arrow. The upper third of the tree is clothed withbranches, giving it the appearance of an elongated pyramid. The branches are spreading : the lower