THE GARDENER'S DICTIONARY; CONTAINING THE BEST AND NEWEST METHODS OF CULTIVATING AND IMPROVING THE Kitchen, Fruit, and Flower Garden, and Nursery ; AS ALSO, FOR PERFORMING THE PRACTICAL PARTS OF AGRICULTURE; Including the managing of Vineyards; with the methods of making and pre- ALL SORTS OF TIMBER TREES. THE NINTH EDITION. REVISED AND ALTERED ACCORDING TO THE LATEST SYSTEM OF BOTANY. BY PHILIP MILLER, F.R.S. Formerly Gardener to the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries, at their Botanic Garden Being a copy of the latest Edition of this Work which has been Published in Digna monet divini gloria ruris.-VIRG. GEORG. IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: G. HENDERSON, 2, OLD BAILEY, LUDGATE HILL. THE GARDENER'S DICTIONARY, &c. &c. &c. ABI ABELE TREE. See Populus. ABELMOSCHUS. See Hibiscus. ABIES (the Fir), a genus of trees of the coniferous tribe, well-known for the valuable timber that is produced by many of the species. It was formerly considered a part of the genus Pinus itself; but modern botanists have followed the popular practice, and have distinguished it. The origin of the Latin name is unknown; that of the English appellation is the Saxon furh-wudu, fir-wood. Class 21, 8. Monœcia Monadelphia, Nat. Ord. Coniferæ. ous. The characters are-flowers monaciMALES.-Catkins simple, solitary, terminal, or axillary. Stamens obtuse, and often callous at the apex, terminated by a jagged membrane; joined in form of a column at their base; separate above. FEMALES.-Catkins somewhat cylindrical; their scales two-flowered, imbricated, and having frequently at their base externally a bractea, which is either very short or lengthened beyond the scales themselves, 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 membranous wing. VOL. I. ABI Trees of various sizes, usually with a straight, conical, undivided trunk, from which proceed spreading, horizontal, or drooping branches, arranged in a pyramidal manner; leaves either solitary, or collected in little fascicles, deciduous or evergreen. From Pinus, or the pine tree, the fir is obviously distinguished by its more pyramidical form, and by its leaves arising singly from around the stem, not by two, or three, or a greater number, from out of a membranous shrivelling sheath, as well as by the characters in the fructification above described. Its species form four very natural tribes, of the first of which, the silver fir may be taken as the representative; of the second, the Norway spruce; of the third, the larch; and of the fourth, the cedar of Lebanon. Most of these are interesting either for the excellence of their wood or as objects of ornament. SECT. I. Leaves growing singly round the branches, and all turned towards one side. SILVERS.-1. ABIES PICEA (the silver fir), Pinus Picea, Lin., sp. pl., 1420. Leaves solitary, arranged like the teeth B |