Abies pindrow Royle

Horticultural & Botanical History

Introduced to Britain in 1837.  [JD].  ‘By Dr. Royle the P. Pindrow is considered a distinct species from the P. Webbiana; and is characterised by its much smaller and thinner cones, which, too, are of a deeper purple colour, and seldom exceed three and a half or four inches in length, and its shorter, broader, stiffer, and furcate leaves.  But other characters there are none, and possibly it may be a mere variety.  If, however, the cone is uniform in size and colour, it would form a very characteristic mark.  I have in my possession a drawing taken from Dr. Royle’s original specimen brought by him from Tyne Teba and deposited in the Mussoone Garden.  It is now 20 feet high, and the cones never exceed 4 inches in length.  In P. Webbiana they are seldom met with under 7 inches.  The furcation of the leaf, noticed as a distinguishing character, is not characteristic, seeing that it is common to both.  In its distribution the Pindrow is much more restricted, and is in general found on more elevated positions, as on the Chor and Tyne Teba, &c.’  [JHS p.311/1853].  Leaves and cones are illustrated in Die Coniferen.  [Die Coniferen t.XXIV/1840-42].

History at Camden Park

Abies pindrow was included among desiderata in a letter to John Lindley dated 15th February 1848 [MP A2933-1, p.157] and to Sir William Hooker on 11th February 1848 [MP A2933-1, p.165] but was not marked ‘arrived’ on Macarthur’s copies.  

Notes