raised at Kew from this seed the material on which our 
illustration is based was derived. 2B. Maximowiezii is a 
member of the small section Betulaster in which are in- 
cluded B. alnoides, Ham., B. luminifera, Winkler, and B. 
Baeumkeri, Winkler, all natives of the Himalaya or of 
Central and Southern China. The species included in this 
section are characterised by having the elongated fruiting 
catkins arranged in racemes, rarely solitary, and by their 
broad-winged nutlets. The only other Birch in which the 
leaves are distinctly cordate at the base is B. ulmifolia, Sieb. 
& Zuce. ; from this B. Maximowiezii is easily distinguished 
by its larger, broadly ovate leaves. Dr. Shirasawa describes 
the wood of our tree as hard, and as showing no difference 
in the colour of the heart and the sap woods. In Japan, 
where it is known as Udai-kamba or Saihada-kamba, the 
timber is used for house-building ; fishermen also make 
torches of the bark, which is said to take fire readily even 
when wet. 
Descriprion.— Tree, sometimes attaining a height of 
100 feet; trunk 13-34 feet thick; bark pale orange or grey, 
papery; twigs nearly glabrous, with brown polished 
sparingly lenticelled bark. Leaves broadly ovate, 3-6 10. 
long, 24-34 in. wide, shortly and abruptly acuminate, base 
deep cordate, margin glandular serrate or twice serrate, 
bright green, clothed above at first with erect hairs which 
Soon disappear, beneath glandular punctate and uniformly 
Sparingly pubescent or with pubescent midrib and nerves 
ut glabrous elsewhere; lateral nerves 10-12 on each side 
ending ja marginal teeth rather longer than the rest; 
petiole 3-14 in. long, glabrous or pubescent. Male catkins 
fascicled at the tips of short twigs, narrow cylindric, 3-4 
In. long; bracts rounded, shortly ciliate, with a few sessile 
glands.” Female catkins 2-4 arranged in loose racemes, 
narrow cylindric, 1} in. long, in fruit 13-3 in. long and 
wt 5 lin, wide; bracts when mature glabrous, 2-25 Jin. 
ong, about 14 lin. wide, 3-lobed; lateral lobes somewhat 
Spreading, much shorter than the mid-lobe; nutlets under 
in. long, wide winged. 
‘eae 1, _ of a male catkin ; 2, male flowers; 8, anther; 4, part of a female 
mature leaf. 6 4— flower; 6, bract of female flower; 7, pistil; 8, margim 
> 9, bract of fruiting eatkin; 10, winged nutlet:—all enlarged. 
