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ABIES RELIGIOSA, Mexican Fir
- Abies religiosa, Schlechtendal, Linnæa, v. 77 (1830); Lindley, Penny. Cycl. i. 31 (1833); Seemann, Bot. Voy. 'Herald,' 335 (1852-1857); Hooker, Bot. Mag. t. 6753 (1884); Masters, Gard. Chron. xxiii. 56, f. 13 (1885), and ix. 304, ff. 69, 70 (1891), and Journ. Linn. Soc. (Bot.) xxii. 194, t. 6 (1886); Kent, Veitch’s Man. Coniferæ, 536 (1900).
- Abies hirtella, Lindley, loc. cit. (1833).
- Pinus religiosa, Humboldt, Bonpland et Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Spec. ii. 5 (1817); Parlatore, in DC. Prod. xvi. 2, p. 420 (1868).
- Pinus hirtella, Humboldt, Blonpland et Kunth, loc. cit. (1817).
- Picea religiosa, Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. iv. 2349 (1838).
- Picea hirtella, Loudon, loc. cit. (1838).
A tree, attaining in Mexico 150 feet in height and 18 feet in girth. Bark’ greyish-white, rough, divided into small roundish plates.
Buds shortly cylindrical, rounded at the apex, covered with white resin. Young shoots brown on the upper surface, olive green beneath, covered with minute erect pubescence; pulvini prominent. Second year’s shoots reddish-brown, smooth, and striate between the pulvini, which are no longer raised.
Leaves on lateral branches, arranged as in A. Nordmanniana; but with the median upper leaves much fewer than in that species, covering the upper side of the branchlet, and pointing forwards and slightly upwards; lower leaves in two lateral sets, spreading outwards and slightly forwards in the horizontal plane. Leaves twisted above the base, linear, flattened, gradually narrowing in the anterior half to an obtuse apex, which is usually entire or rarely minutely bifid; upper surface dark green, shining, with a median groove (usually not continued to the apex) and without stomata;? lower surface with two greyish bands of stomata, each of eight to ten lines; resin-canals marginal. The upper leaves are about half the length of those below, the latter about an inch in length and about 1⁄16 inch broad. Leaves on cone-bearing branches similar to those on barren branches.
Cones on short stout stalks, 4 inches long, 2 inches in diameter, conical, broadest near the base and gradually tapering to an obtuse and narrowed apex, bluish before ripening, dark brown when mature, the large reflexed bracts being then of a chestnut brown colour. Scales broadly fan-shaped, nearly 11⁄4 inch wide by 5⁄8 inch long ; upper margin almost entire ; lateral margins laciniate and denticulate ; base broad with a sinus on each side of the short obcuneate claw. Bract: claw wide, obcuneate ; lamina quadrangular, denticulate, emarginate with a short triangular cusp. Seed with wing about 3⁄4 inch long; wing broad and 11⁄2 times the length of the body of the seed.
Distribution
This species extends throughout the mountains of Mexico, from near Durango in the Sierra Madre range (lat. 24°), where it was collected by Seemann,® to the
1 In this tree, as in the other species with prominent pulvini on the branchlets, the bark of the trunk speedily becomes
scaly and like that of a spruce, not remaining smooth for a considerable period, as in the common species of silver fir.
2 On leaves towards the tip of the shoot, short irregular lines of stomata are present on their upper surface near the apex, Some of these leaves turn their ventral surfaces upwards towards the light.
8 Bot. Voy. Herald, 335 (1852).