288 A HANDBOOK OF CONIFERS 



Under the name of L. dahurica, var. japonica, Wilson^ describes 

 a form ochrocarpa which is said to differ from typical var. japonica 

 by the pale yellowish-green colour of the cones. 



Larix leptolepis, Murray. (Fig. 65.) 

 Japanese Larch. 



Larix japonica, Carriere ; L. Kaempferi, Sargent ; L. Sieboldi, Zuc- 

 carini ; Abies Kaemjjferi, Lindley ; A. leptolejais, Siebold and Zuccarini ; 

 Pinus Kaempferi, Lambert ; P. Larix, Thunberg ; P. leptolepis, Endlicher. 

 Red Larcli ; Kara-matsu. 



A tree 60-100 ft. high, with a trunk 6-12 ft. in girth in Japan. 

 Bark of young trees reddish, brown in later life, with shallow 

 fissures, shed in small plates or strips. Branches dense, longer 

 and stronger than in the common larch. Young shoots glaucous, 

 covered in varying density with soft, brownish hairs, or sometimes 

 without hairs, furrowed, becoming in the second year reddish with 

 a glaucous tinge. Short shoots stout, dark brown, the annual rings 

 without down. Terminal buds of long shoots small, oblong or 

 conical, pointed, resinous, covered by bright brown, loose, fringed 

 scales, and surrounded at the base by soft hairs. Lateral buds 

 short, broad, blunt. Leaves of long shoots up to 1^ in. long, 

 broader than in L. europcea, pointed or blunt ; those of the short 

 shoots 40 or more together, up to 1|- in. long, both kinds glaucous- 

 green, flat above, keeled below, turning yellow in autumn. 

 Flowers appearing before the leaves at the same time as those of 

 L. europcea. Male floivers oblong, shorter and narrower than in 

 L. europcea, about ^ in, long and | in. wide when expanded, 

 siUTOunded by thin, brown, fringed bracts. Female flowers about 

 I in. long and mde ; bracts with a wide central triangular band of 

 green or greenish brown, narrowly margined with pink, the green 

 part ending in a sharp point, the apex bending outwards and more 

 distinctly reflexed than in common larch. Cones f-l^in, long 

 and almost as broad ; scales about ^ in. long and wide, rounded, 

 with the upper edge rolled back, giving the expanded cones a 

 rosette-like appearance, each scale sHghtly downy and marked 

 with longitudinal lines on the outer surface. Bracts scarcely 

 exceeding the scales in length. Seed ^l in. long, wing about 

 twice as long. 



L. leptolepis is distinguished from the common larch by its 

 glaucous shoots, wider blue-green or glaucous leaves, and broader 

 cones with reflexed scales. 



This larch is found wild in Japan on the slopes of volcanic 

 mountains at 4,000-6,000 ft., chiefly on Mount Fuji, on Mount 

 Asama, in the Azumi county of the Shinano Province, and also 

 on Mount Nikko, but natural forests are rare elsewhere. ^ It was 

 introduced to Britain in 1861 by John Gould Veitch, 



^ Loc. cit. ^Forestry of Japan, 30 (1910). 



