BETULACEAE. — BETXJLA 475 



XXXVIII. pt. 2, 416 {Bhojpaltra) (1865); in De Candolle, Prodr. XVI. pt. 2, 

 177 (1868). 



INDIA. Sikkim : Lachung valley, alt. 3800 m., August 22, 1892, G. A . Gammie 

 (common tree); without locality, "10-14000 ped./' J. D. Hooker. Eastern 

 Nepal: Gossainthan, A''. Wallich (type, ex D. Don). 



I regard this eastern form as the true B. utilis D. Don, which seems to be more 

 nearly related to the central Chinese forms, especially to var. Prattii Burkill, tlian 

 to B. Jacquemontii Spach. Unfortunately I have seen too little material from the 

 eastern Himalaya to be sure whether the differences in the bracts, mentioned in 

 the key, are important enough to separate the Chinese forms. According to Dr. 

 Stapf (in lit.) the true B. utilis seems to be somewhat different from the plants 

 from Sikkim, and only observations in the field can show whether or not differ- 

 ent species can be distinguished. 



Betula utilis, var. Prattii Burkill. See p. 457. 



9. Betula albo-sinensis BurldlL See p. 457. 



Betula albo-sinensis, var. septentrionalis Schneider. See p. 458. 



Subsect. b. Asperae Schneider, n. subsect. (descriptio in clavi). 

 Betula, subgen. Asperae Nakai in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXIX. 41 (1915). 



10. Betula Schmidtu Kegel in Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. XXVIII. pt. 2, 412, t. 6, 

 fig. 14-20 (1865); in De Candolle, Prodr. XVI. pt. 2, 175 (1868). —Herder in Act. 

 Hart. Petrop. XII. 68 (1892). — Komarovin Act. Hart. Petrop. XXII. 52 {Fl.Mansh, 

 n.) (1903). — Nakai in Jour. Coll. Sci. Tokyo, XXXI. 201 {Fl. Kor. II.) (1911); 

 in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXIX. 44 (1915). — Koidzumi in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXVII. 

 146 (1913). 



Betula Bhojpatiray var. tyjnca Shirai in Tokyo Bot. Mag. VIII. 319, t. 6, fig. 



25-29 (non Kegel) (1894). — Shirasawa, Icon. Ess. For. Jap. I. 44, t. 23, 



fig. 9-22 (1900). 

 Betula Bhojpaltra, var. Jacquemontii Shirai in Tokyo Bot, Mag. VIII. 320, 



t, 6, fig. 23-24 (non Kegel) (1894). 

 Betula dahurica Shirai in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XIX. 164 (non Pallas) (1905).— 



Matsumura, Ind. PI Jap. II. pt. 2, 19 (1912). 

 Betula punctata Leveill^ ex Nakai in Tokyo Bot. Mag. XXIX. 44 (pro sjmon.) 



(1915). 



NORTHEASTERN ASIA. Ussuri: Port Bruce, 1860; C. Maximowicz {go- 

 type; fruits). Korea (ex Nakai). 



JAPAN. Hondo: prov. Shimotsuke, around Lake Chuzenji, alt. 1200-1600 

 m.. May 24, 1914, E. H. Wilson (No. 6741; tree 13-20 m. tall, girth 1.2-2.7 m., 

 bark very dark, peeling off in thick rectangular plates; flowers); same place, 

 October 20, 1914, E. H. Wilson (No. 7687; tree 30-35 m. tall, girth 2.1-3 m., bark 

 in thick dark plates, fruits erect); Sho-buga-hama, August 2, 1908 (ex Plerb. 

 Sakurai; unripe fruits); Nikko, July 15, 1911 (ex. Herb. Sakurai; unripe fruits). 



This is a well-marked species characterized by the narrow but stiff erect cat- 

 kins, and by the fine denticulation of the short-petioled leaves. The bracts are 

 rather short with obtusish or acute lobes, the middle one being twice longer than 

 the erect lateral lobes. There is a Uving plant in the Arnold Arboretum the bark 

 and the twigs of which do not possess the peculiar scent of that of B. grossa Siebold & 

 Zuccarini, B. corylijolia Kegel & Maximowicz or of the species of the Lentae group. 



This remarkable Birch is rare in Japai^, and I saw it only on the wooded shores 

 of Lake Chuzenji and in the ascent there from Nikko. It is a large tree with thick 



