412 



SKET^CH OF THE COKIFEliS OF JAPA:N". 



equally dependent upon the specimens furnished by the Japanese 

 for the materials from which they have drawn their descriptions. 

 " We saw this tree/* say they, '* only as a decorative plant in the 

 gardens of Nagasald and Ohosaka, aiid along the highway which 

 conducts to Jedo. The tallest specimens did not exceed 30 feet 

 in height, and had completely the look of the common Silver Fir. 

 In the wild state the Sjura momi is found in the centre of 

 Nippon in the mountains of Owari and Sinano, J3y the kindness 

 of Messrs- Midsutani Sakerok and Ito Keiske, we are in posses- 

 sion of fragments from these countries, — others coming from the 

 north of the island were given to us at Jedo," This, indeed, does 

 not necessarily imply that their only specimens were so given 

 them, although the similarity of the mode of expression used in 

 speaking of what they saw of the trees, both in their account of 



hijid^ 



hifd 

 of tlie same nature. In t 

 vlmes ce sapin que cultive.'' 

 vtmes cet arhre seulement comme plante de decoration 



No 



IT 



and 



as the seeing of hijid 



mens from it, nor by scientific examination, so the same form 

 of remark relating to A. homolepis may infer the same extent 

 of observation and the 

 another explanation of the cii'cumstance 



style of in(][uiry ; or there may be 



involving the 



same 



result, viz., that the scientific examination and description of the 

 specimens ^as made at home by Dr. Zuccarini, while the travel- 

 ling and collecting was the work of Dr. Siebold. Either view 

 will account for what we suppose to be 

 the case; viz., that the specimens from 

 which the descriptions were taken do not 

 represent the character of the foliage of 

 the whole tree, but merely that of indi- 

 vidual leaves. , 



The leaves of A, homolepis are figured 

 by Siebold and Zuccarini as follows (fig. 

 7G), lu everything but the form of the 

 termination of the leaf thus shown, all 

 that can be compared of it correspotids 



with the description and figures of A. Underside. U^i^^T^ 

 firnia and A. hijlda. Fig. 76. 



The difierences in the termination of these leaves, in addition 

 to the authority of such eminent botanists as Siebold and Zucca- 

 rini, have led most subsequent writers to accept these species as 



