Hijlory.—It was one of the firft good new trees found by Mr Jeffrey, who was fent out by the
Oregon Botanical Affociation, to collect in North-weft America; and Jeffrey requefted that, if it proved
undefcribed, it fliould be named after Mr George Patton of the Cairnies.
Mr Patton of the Cairnies (formerly Solicitor-General for Scotland under Lord Derby's Government
of 1859), is well known in Scotland for his enthufiafm for Coniferae. He poffeffes an eftate in Perthlhire, at
an altitude of about 600 feet above the level of the fea, embracing great variety of foil -and expofure, where
he has conducted a feries of experiments on the hardinefs and fitnefs for this climate of almoft every fpecies
of Conifer which has been introduced into this country, many of the refults of which we hope to be able to
embody in thefe pages. He was one of the originators of the Oregon Botanical Affociation and Jeffrey's
expedition ; hence was well entitled to be remembered out of its firft-fruits. Since Jeffrey's difcovery and
introduction of the tree, it does not appear to have been again met with, unlefs it has been confounded
with A. Hookeriana in fome of the confignments which have been made of late years.
Mr Gordon has defcribed this fpecies as fynonymous with A. Hookeriana ; we have, however, already
fhown, under A. Hookeriana, the grounds for believing it to be diftinct from the prefent fpecies (as, for
inftance, that the leaf is dentate on the margin and without ftomata on the upper fide in-the one, and not
dentate and with ftomata on both fides in the other). The fame author makes it fynonymous with Raffinefque's
fpecies, A. trigona; but there is no point of identity with it which is not fhared by many others
of the genus, and feveral which feem to forbid the idea of its belonging either to A. Hookeria7ia or the
prefent fpecies. It is from 200 to 300 feet high, or twice the height of A. Pattoniana, and nearly four
times that of A. Hookeriana. The leaf is faid to be trigonal, one-tenth of an inch in breadth, and threefourths
of an inch in length ; a term which does not apply either to A. Pattoniana or A. Hookeriana,
the fection of whofe leaves is not trigonal but lenticular. Their leaves, alfo, are fcarcely three-fourths of
an inch in length. In fact, in the only points where comparifon is poffible, we find diffimilarity inftead of
refemblance.
Another fynonym offered by Mr Gordon is Picea Californica, a name given by Carrière to a fpecies
of which little is known. We have not feen either the cones, leaves, or young plants of Picea Californica
(Carriere's ufe of the word Picea is the converfe of that which Englifh Botanifts generally adopt) ; but
Carrières defcription contains fome points which render it poffible that it may be this fpecies. In particular,
the fize of the cone feems to be about the fame, and he defcribes its fcales as "epaiffies au centre,
amincies fur les bords qui font entiers, parfois légèrement finuées,"—a defcription which may pafs for thofe
of A. Pattoniana. On the other hand, the defcription of the wings of the feeds does not quite correfpond
with thofe of A. Pattoniana, nor that of the young plants, which are faid to be very like thofe of A. balsamea.
The leaves, alfo, are faid to be alternate, which is certainly not the cafe either with A. Pattoniana or
A. Hookeriana. In the abfence of more information on the fubject, we have therefore refrained from
placing P. Californica (Carrière) as a fynonym to this fpecies.
Introduced in 1851.
Properties and Ufes.—From Jeffrey's defcription of the timber, there is no doubt that it will prove a
ufeful tree for purpofes fimilar to thofe for which Larch is employed.
Culture.—The foil on which Jeffrey found this tree growing moft luxuriantly was red loam, very
ftony and moift. Very few of Jeffrey's feeds grew, and even thofe that germinated have moftly damped off.
The number of plants in this country we believe to be very limited. No particular treatment feems to
have been tried or thought neceffary.
Commercial Statiflics.—In 185,5 one-year feedlings fold for 7s. 6d. each, and plants 2 to 4 inches for
25s. In 1858 the price of three-year feedlings was 5s. In i860, plants 8 to 9 inches high realifed from
5s. to 7s. 6d. ; and in 1863, plants from 12 to 18 inches were fold at the fame price.
A B I E S M E D I O X I M A.
IN. ABIES MEDIOX1MA [NytaA,), N.r„,i„ ,f . Botanic T.„ flWy,, J iri x ,
Society Botanique de France, separate copy, p. 7 (1864).
ABIES EXCELSA, Linnan.s, VA„, Sch bclcr Sy, p, „f Vegetable Products 0/Norway, p. ;
Farmer, No. 281 (8th August 1866).
Specific Character.—Abieti excelsa valde affinis, foliis minoribus, strobilis squamis obovatis mar
rotundato et integro, bracteis oblongis, seminibus alis brevibus et latis deo-noscitur.
Habitat in Lapponia boreali.
Very closely allied to the Norway Spruce. The tree itself is usually na ;r, the branches spreading
out less and bending down more. It attains a height
V t f ^ l of 25 feet, and a diameter of 8 inches. The bark is more
K J I / ^ rimose, as in the Scotch Fir, and the young branchlets are
f, >j I pubescent [fig. i]. The leaves [fig. 2, and 3 magnified]
are shorter, and have fewer rows of stomata, the number of
rows on each side of the middle, both above and below,
being only one or two [figs. 4 and 5]. The pulvini on
which they rest are proportionately broader. The cones
are pendent, narrow, and small, not more than an inch
F'6' *' and a half or 2 inches in length, and more acutely ovate "
than those of A hies excelsa [figs. 6 and 7]. The scales are rounded
or obovate, not pointed, and with the margins entire [fig. 8].
oblong, and scarcely at all pointed [fig. 9]. The seed is
small, with a short, broad, and rounded wing [fig. 10].
Some botanists consider this as merely a boreal variety
of the Norway Spruce. Professor Andersson of Stockholm SMle"
is of this opinion. He says, "When I travelled in Lapland the last time, 1864.
I very easily observed not only that all the A bics growing there had
a somewhat different form from our common species, but, going from Q ^
'K ' alpine Lapland to the coast of Norseland at the Baltic, I was sen- Fig. .=
sibly struck by all the numerous intermediate forms meeting, so that it was quite impossible
to say, ' Here we have the alpine form, here the normal;' and going farther southward, I soon convinced
myself that we have but one species of Pinus Abies in Sweden, but that there exists in our northern
parts an alpine form, differing in some remarkable points. The same has been observed also in Finland,
where this form has been named P. Abies medioxima by Nylander." (Farmer of August 8, 1866, loc. cit)
Tried by the test of the existence of occasional exceptional specimens shewing intermediate characters,
this is not the only species of Conifer which would have to be discarded and regarded as a variety.
[ 25 ]
The bract is more
We
should