THE CONIFERS OF JAPAN. 477 



of Loo Choo, Hong Kong, and Bonin are, as might have been 

 expected, of Chinese rather than of Japanese affinity. There is 

 also a large number of species in America, the Himalayas, and 

 Europe ; but, with the one exception mentioned, none is common 

 to these regions as well as to Japan. 



For various reasons, the figures just given may not be strictly 

 accurate ; they are liable to alteration as our knowledge 

 increases, and according to the views entertained by particular 

 botanists as to the identification and limitation of species ; but 

 for our present purpose they are sufficiently correct, as it is not 

 likely that the proportions which those figures represent will be 

 materially changed. 



Although the species may not be absolutely identical, yet 

 Pines, Larches, Silver Firs, Spruce Firs, Junipers, Tews are repre- 

 sented in each of the geographical districts mentioned. The 

 Hemlock Spruces (Tsuga) of Japan have representatives on both 

 sides of the American continent, as well as in the Himalaya. The 

 dwarf Cypresses of Japan {Thuya $Chamcecyparis) have also repre- 

 sentatives on both sides of the American continent ; while Thuya 

 japonica is so like the T. gigantea of the North-west American 

 region that it has been mistaken for it. Thuya orientalis, too, 

 may be said to have its American representative in Thuya occi- 

 dentalis. Picea ajanensis of the North-east Asiatic regions has, 

 from its similarity, been confused with the Picea sitkensis or 

 Menziesii of North-west America. Juniperus nipponica is almost 

 identical with J. nana from Sitka. The curious distribution of 

 the species of Torreya has been already referred to. 



The large number of endemic species with one endemic genus, 

 leads to the inference that Japan may have formed a special centre 

 whence Conifers have migrated elsewhere. This view seems more 

 probable than the assumption that Japan has received any but a 

 small proportion of its Conifers from elsewhere. Numerically, as 

 might be expected, the alliance is greatest between Japan and 

 China and the mainland to the north of the latter empire. The 

 approximation to the American flora, especially to that of the east 

 side of that continent, is numerically extremely small ; indeed 

 there is not a single Conifer common to Eastern America and 

 Japan. But when representative species are taken into account, 

 the relation is shown to be closer, though still less than that 

 (illustrated by other orders of flowering plants) pointed out by 

 Dr. Asa Gray. In his well-known essay on the Botany of 



