112 PICE.E, OR SPRUCE TREES 



past day, when they were first sent over to England. 

 There is this wide difference between them, that the 

 Alcockiana is a four-sided leaf with stomata more or 

 less on all surfaces. The Hondoensis and Ajanensis 

 (its near affinity) are flat-leaved trees, with stomata 

 only on one side. 



The leaves of Alcockiana are stiff-curved with a 

 cartilaginous point, the leaves of the others are 

 blunter. 



The branchlets of the Alcockiana show pubescence 

 in the grooves of the branchlets. The Hondoensis 

 and Ajanensis do not. 



The resemblance between them and the Hon- 

 doensis, then, is reduced to a mere nominal confusion, 

 due to no similarities of any natural construction. 



The Alcockiana is not recommended by the faculty 

 as a " thing of beauty or a joy for ever," to anyone 

 who wishes to plant with these desirable objects 

 in view. 



Note I. — ^The latest description of this tree comes 

 from E. H. Wilson, in an account of it published in 

 the Arnold Arboretum publication, 191 6, and entitled 

 Conifers and Taxads in Japan. 



The shoots he describes as at times quite glabrous, 

 but on adult trees and their principal shoots pubes- 

 cent. 



The leaves he describes as rhombic (quadrilateral) 

 in section, of a bluish-green colour, oblique at apex, 

 with small cartilaginous points. They and the cones 

 are much the same as described by other authorities, 

 from whom the details, as they appear in table, p. 380, 

 are collected. 



Note 2. — ^There are two varieties of the P. Bicolor — 

 Acicularis and Reflexa — called attention to in The 

 Gardener's Chronicle, August 14th, 191 5, by the great 

 Japanese authorities, Shirasawa and Royama. Both 

 have slightly different cone scale features, but are 



