AIRES, in Botany (the Fir), ft genus of trees of the Coniferous tribe, well-known for the valuable timber which is produced by ninny of the species. It was formerly considered a part of the genus Pinta; but modern botanists have made it a distinct genus. The English appel lation is the Saxon furh-scuds, fir-wood.
Generic Character.
Flowers monmcione.
Moles. Catkins simple, solitary, terminal, or axillary. Stamens obtuse, and often callous at the apex, terminated by a jagged membrane.
Females. Catkins somewhat cylindrical ; their scales two-flowered, imbricated, and having frequently at their base externally a bractee, which is either very short or lengthened beyond the scales themselms, and terminated by a taper point Cones more or less cylindrical ; the scales imbricated and woody, but not thickened at the extremity ; seeds ending in a tnembre noun wing.
Embryo about the length of the seed, with several closely-packed cotyledons.
Trees of various sizes, usually with n straight, conical, undivided trunk, from which proceed spreading, horizontal, or drooping branches, arranged in a pyramidal manlier. Leaves either solitary, or collected in little fascicles, deciduous or evergreen.
From PhIlla (the Pine-Tree) (the Fir-Tree) is obviously distinguished by its more pyramidal form, and by its leaves arising singly from around the stein, not by twos or threes, or a greater number, from out of a membranous shrivelling sheath, as well as by the characters in the fructification above deseribtaL its species form four very natural tribes, of the first of which, the Silrcr Fir may be taken as the representative; of the second, the Sorway Spruce of the third, the Larch ; and of the fourth, the Cedar of Lebanon. As most of these are interesting, either for the excellence of their wood or as objects of ornament, wo shall briefly notice those that are at present best known. Those who wish for further information should consult Mr. Lambert's Monograph of the Genus Pinue,' L C. Richard's ' 31.5moire stir les Coniferes,' N ichnux's / I istoir•e des Arbree Forestier•s
de l'Alarique Septentrionalc,' Loudon's Arboretaun et Fruticetuni Britannicum.' Lea rcs growing singly round the branches, and a11 turned towards onc side.
Abies Picea, the Silver Fir (.4 bin pectinata, De Candolle; Pinar Picea, Unmet's). Leaves arranged like the teeth of a comb, some what emarginate, of a whitish colour underneath. Cones erect, with very blunt closely-pressed scales, which are much shorter than the taper-points-el inflexed bracts. It is a native of the mountains of the middle and south of Europe, fu stony, dry, expused situations. Its favourite district seems to be on the Pullin° and in the forest of Rubin, in the kingdom of Naples, where it is found in all its grandeur, often growing from 130 to 150 feet in height, and richly meriting the name puleherrima (most beautiful), applied to it by Virgil. This tree is readily known by its leaves having their points all turned towards the sky, and being mealy underneath, as well as by its long, erect, stalkless, cones, of a greenish-purple colour, bristling with reflexed taper points of the bracts that subtend the scales. It is the Sepia of the French. Planks of indifferent quality, on account of their softness, are sawn from its trunk, which also yields Burgundy pitch and Strasburg turpentine. For its successful cultivation in this country it requires strong laud, such as will suit the oak, and a sheltered situation ; it will then become a very large tree. From a communication to Mr. Lambert, it appears that trees have been felled which, at 100 years of age, contained six loads, or 240 cubic feet, of timber. It is said by some to grow slowly for the first fifteen years, but afterwards with great rapidity. A plant in -Woburn Park is recorded to have grown for 110 years at the rate of one foot in height and nearly three and a half cubic feet per annum. Its trunk some times arrives at 150 feet in height, and six feet in diameter.