478 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



fruit erect); descent from Chuzenji to Nikko, October 21, 1914, E. H. Wilson 

 (No. 7701; tree 12 m. tall, girth 0.75 m.; fruits); shores of Lake Yumoto, Novem- 

 ber 7, 1892, C S, Sargent (tree 10-13 m., daric bark, the branchlets with the 

 flavor of those of B. lenta; fruits); prov. Shinano, on Tsubakura-dake, alt. 

 1000-1600 m., September 15, 1914, E. H, Wilson (No. 7485; tree 12-17 m. tall, 

 girth 0.6-1.2 m., bark black, Cherry Birch; fruits); same prov., 1864, C. Maxi-' 

 mowicz (co-type of B. utilis, var. sericea; flowers); Mt. Ontake, July 1905, 

 U. Faurie (No. 6627; fruits); prov. Musashi, Takao-san, one tree in wood, 

 alt. 100-1600 m., September 24, 1914, E. H. Wilson (No. 7163; tree 18 m. tall, 

 girth 1.8 m., bark gray, rough, a Cherry Birch; sterile); prov. Kosuke, Mt. Akagi, 

 August 19, 1908 (ex Herb. Sakurai; fruits); -without locality, Siebold (ex Herb. 

 Mus. Lugd.-Bat., co-type of B. carpinifolia), Shikoku : prov. Tosa, Nanokawa, 

 May 27, 1888, A. Watanahe (fruits). 



A careful study of copious material has failed to show the possibility of distin- 

 guishing varieties of this species by the pubescence of the branchlets and bracts, 

 the shape of the bracts and leaves or by other characters. The Director of the 

 Botanical Museum in Munich has kindly sent photograplis and fragments of 

 the type specimens of B. carpinifolia and B. ulmifolia ex Herb. Zuccarini. There 

 can be no doubt that both belong to B. grossa. Betula carpinifolia is identical, 

 but B. ulmifoliaj as stated by the authors in their original description, differs 

 slightly in having bracts with narrower lobes, the middle one being twice the 

 length of the lateral lobes. I have retained the name B. grossa for this species be- 

 cause the name B. ulmifolia has been used for so many different plants, espe- 

 cially for B. Ermanii Chamisso which is easily distinguished by the much more 

 triangular-ovate shape of the leaves and especially by the shape of the strobiles 

 and bracts. B, grossa differs from it, too, by the Cherry flavor of the bark of the 

 branchlets and the dark bark. 



This Japanese Cherry Birch is very common in mixed woods on the mountains 

 of the Shinano province in central Japan northward to near the limits of the island 

 of Hondo. It has not been reported from Hokkaido and very probably does not 

 grow there. It occurs on the higher mountains of Shikoku and probably on those of 

 Kyushu also. It grows to a large size, and the trunk in thickness rivals that of B. 

 Ermanii Chamisso. The branches are stout and the crown wide-spreading. On 

 trees from thirty to fifty years of age the bark is black or nearly so and perfectly 

 smooth, but on older trees it becomes fissured and rather lighter in color. The spe- 

 cies, however, is well marked, and in Japan may be readily distinguished in the 

 woods from any other. Pictures of this tree will be found under Nos. s253 and 

 x254 of the collection of my Japanese photographs. E. H. vV. 



14. Betula Fargesii Franchet in Jour, de Bot. XIIL 205 (1899). — Burkill in 

 Jour. Linn. Soc. XXVI. 498 (1899). — Diels in Bat Jahrb. XXIX. 282 (1900). — 

 Winkler in Engler, Pflanzenr. IV.-^l, 66 (1904). 



Eastern Szech'uan: Heoupin near Tchen-keou-tin, alt. 2200 m., P- barges 

 (No. 1012; type, ex Franchet). Western Hupeh: Fang Hsien, A. Henry (No. 

 6879; sterile). 



From Franchet's description it is rather difficult to decide whether Henr>' s 

 specimen is the same as B. Fargesii, as Burkill says who has seen the type. Wmkler 

 gives a somewhat better description of the type, but he did not see Henrj''s speci- 

 men. This sterile specimen resembles B. albo-sinen^s Burkill, but differs in having 

 the ends of the branchlets very fine pubescent. According to the descriptions o 

 the cones, bracts and seeds by Franchet and by Winkler, B. Fargesii might repre- 

 sent in China, where it seems to be a very local species, a type similar to B. grossa. 



15. Betula insignis Franchet. See p. 459. 



