2294

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART 111

Spec. Char., Sfc. Leaves scattered, quadrangular. Cones cylindrical, terminal,pendent; scales naked, truncate at the summit, flat. Crest of the anthersrounded. (Lois.) Cone from Sin. to Tin . long, and from ljin. to 2in.broad ; scale from 1 in. to 1J in. long, and from A in. to | in. broad. Seedvery small, scarcely Ain. long, and Jyin. broad ; with the wing, f in. long,and A in. broad. Cotyledons 7 to 9. Indigenous to the north of Europe ,more particularly to Norway ; and in cultivation in Britain since 1548.

Varieties.

f A. e. 1 communis. The common Spruce , or White Fir of Norway. —Thefoliage is shorter, more slender, and lighter-coloured, than in thefollowing form; though the difference may be in part owing to soiland situation. In Norway , as we are informed by Mr. White, theinhabitants make a distinction between the white and the red spruce:the former grows on light poor soils, and in elevated situations,and has a lighter foliage, and white wood; the latter grows inmore substantial soils, in the valleys, and has a darker strongerfoliage, and red wood, which is more resinous, and of much greaterstrength and durability.

? A. c.ti nigra. The black- leaved Spruce , or Red Fir of Norway. —There is atree in Studley Park, known there as the black spruce, of which aportrait is given in our last Volume. In the foliage, it answers tothe description given of the red fir of Norway ; its leaves beingvery thick, strong, and dark-coloured; its bark red ; and its coneslonger than those of the common spruce. The leaves, in the speci-men sent to us, are 1J in. in length ; and the conesfrom 5| in. to Gin . long, and from ljin. to 1 a in.broad. The scales (see fig. 2213.) are much morepointed than those of the common spruce, and longer.

The tree at Studley is 121 ft. high; and, from itsdense mass of dark foliage, it is considered a muchfiner tree than the common spruce.

1 A. e. 3 carpatica; A. carpatica Ilort. and LoudHort. Brit. The Carpathian Spruce . —This variethas vigorous shoots, and foliage as dense and longas that of the preceding, but lighter. There is a treeat Dropmore, which in 1837, after being five orsix years planted, was nearly 6 ft. high.

1 A. e. 4 pendula; A. communis pendula Booth-, Plnus ff'bies pendulaLodd. Cat. , ed. 1836. The pendulous, or weeping, branched NorwaySpruce. —This is distinguished from the species by the drooping habitof its branches; and also by the darker glossy green colour, andgreater length, of its leaves. There is a plant in the Hackney ar-boretum 5 ft. high, the shoots of which are somewhat pendulous.

t As e. 5 foliis variegdtis, P. ff.fbliis variegatis Lodd. Cat. , has the leavesblotched with yellow, and forms a more compact dwarf-growing treethan the species. There is a plant in the Horticultural Society’sGarden, 8 years planted, which is 7 ft. high.

it A. e. 6 Clanbrasili ana; P. Clanbrassilarea Lodd. Cat. , ed. 1837; is alow,compact, round bush, seldom seen higher than 3 ft. or 4 ft., and never,that we have heard of, producing either male or female blossoms.The annual shoots are from 1 in. to 3 in. or 4 in. in length; theleaves from a in. to in. long; and their colour is lighter than thatof the species. The original plant is said to have been found on theestate of Moira, near Belfast , probably about the end of the lastcentury; and to have been first introduced into Great Britain byLord Clanbrasil; whence the specific name. The largest plant thatwe know of in the neighbourhood of London is at Cashiobury, nearWatford; where, in 1837, it wus 3 ft. 6 in. high, having been 30 years