Forest trees of the Pacific slope . hose of the upper branches, which are com-monly about 1 to 1^ inches long. There is very great variation in the lengthform, and thickness of leaves of this fir in different parts of its widerange. The changes in form from horizontally flattened leaves to verticallyflattened ones, or to those resembling a sickle-blade, are curious; they are unex-plained, except perhaps by the fact that the latter form is best adapted tothe dry climate in which it most often occurs. Some authors hold that RockyMountain trees bear longer leaves, and more commonly pointed ones,
Forest trees of the Pacific slope . hose of the upper branches, which are com-monly about 1 to 1^ inches long. There is very great variation in the lengthform, and thickness of leaves of this fir in different parts of its widerange. The changes in form from horizontally flattened leaves to verticallyflattened ones, or to those resembling a sickle-blade, are curious; they are unex-plained, except perhaps by the fact that the latter form is best adapted tothe dry climate in which it most often occurs. Some authors hold that RockyMountain trees bear longer leaves, and more commonly pointed ones, than dotrees of the Pacific forests. The writer has seen trees in the latter region withquite as long leaves, while long blunt leaves are not infrequent on trees of the FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 117 eastern range. The long-maintained Abies loiciana Murray (cultivated inEngland, where it was first described), the Abies concolor loiciarm of Americanauthors, is a form of the white fir distinguished mainly by the length of its. Fig. 43.—Abies concolor, lower branch. leaves. It is exceedingly difficult, however, to longer maintain, even as a variety,a form based upon a character so clearly unstable. The cones (fig. 44) aremature early in September, when they are very pale olive green with an ashen 118 FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. tinge, or clear chrome-yellow green; sometimes purple. They vary from about31 to4i (sometimes nearly 5) inches in length. The bracts attached to the backsof the cone-scales are rather narrow and oblong, broad and squarish at the freeend, which has a small point extending from its center. The seeds (tig. 44. a)are a dingy j^ellow-brown with shiny, clear, rose-tinged wings. Seed-leaves, , light, soft, rather coarse-grained, whitish to light indistinct brown;straight-grained; works easily, is strong and hard enough to be useful for sawtimber, for which it is used to some extent. Many large trees are affected with punk rot or are wind sha
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