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A microscopic examination was made of the secondary wood of 23 species of Picea and 9 species of Larix in order to study the fusiform ray as a diagnostic feature in separating the two genera. The result was completely negative. The orthodox methods of separation, relying upon the variation in the number of epithelial cells surrounding the resin duct, and upon the position of the duct, in relation to the two "tails", were found to be unreliable over the whole range of material studied., A microscopic examination was made of the secondary wood of 23 species of Picea and 9 species of Larix in order to study the fusiform ray as a diagnostic feature in separating the two genera. The result was completely negative. The orthodox methods of separation, relying upon the variation in the number of epithelial cells surrounding the resin duct, and upon the position of the duct, in relation to the two "tails", were found to be unreliable over the whole range of material studied.