44 CONIFEROUS TREES 



culata sphaeralis, Masters, is one of the most 

 distinct and remarkable, and is justly entitled to 

 the name that has been bestowed upon it. In 

 northern Ireland I have seen a tree bearing fruit 

 in every respect similar to that of the Wiston 

 Park specimens, thus proving that the variety 

 is constant and widely distributed. There are, 

 however, intermediate forms, in so far as shape 

 of fruit is concerned, between the typical species, 

 in which the berries are decidedly of oval shape, 

 and the variety sphaeralis, which bears round or 

 spherical fruit. Another very curious form has 

 been sent to me in which the unusually small 

 berries are of a clear yellow when ripe, at which 

 stage they greatly resemble the small Californian 

 grapes that have been sent into this country in 

 such quantities during the past summer. 



CRYPTOMERIA, Don 



THE JAPAN CEDARS 



Flowers monoecious ; males in axillary spikes ; females 

 solitary, spherical and terminal. 



Cones globular, prickly when ripe. 



Scales palmately divided at the edge, wedge-shaped and 

 loose. 



Seeds four or five under each scale, with a slight mem- 

 branous wing. 



Cotyledons flat, leafy, from two to four, but mostly in threes. 



Leaves linear, alternate (often heteromorphic), sickle- 

 shaped, usually in five rows. 



Large-growing evergreen trees, natives of China or Japan. 

 In some of the varieties the primordial leaves are retained 

 for an indefinite period of time. 



Cryptomeria japonica, Don. (Synonyms : 

 Cupressus japonica, LinncBiisf. ; Taxodium japoni- 



