12 CONIFERS AND TAXADS OF JAPAN 



especially round the villages of Gotemba and Yamanaka, there are many fine trees 

 of this Yew, but it is impossible to decide whether they are wild or planted. The 

 most southern place in Japan that I have seen wild specimens from is Mt. Daisen 

 in Hoki province, Hondo, which is about 2000 m. high and is the loftiest moun- 

 tain on the west coast. The Rev. Arthur Stanford of the American Board Mission 

 gave me the material and told me that the plant forms a dense scrub from 1 to 

 2 m. high covering large areas on the wind-swept middle and upper slopes. I have 

 seen material from Takayama in Hida province, but whether wild or cultivated I 

 do not know. On the lower middle slopes of Yatsuga-dake on the borders of Shinano 

 and Kai provinces I saw this Yew wild in moist woods, and in the village of Naka- 

 shinden it is the common hedge plant. It grows on Nantai-san in the Nikko 

 region, but is rare, although in the temple grounds and gardens in this region it is 

 a very common shrub or tree. On the wind-swept upper slopes of Hakkoda-yama 

 in Mutsu province, between 1600 and 2000 m. high this Yew grows sparingly 

 as a low, broad shrub from 1 to 1.5 m. tall. I met with it occasionally elsewhere 

 in Hondo within the limits here sketched, but except in and near villages where it 

 is questionably wild this tree is rare on the main island of Japan. In the moist 

 forests of northern Hokkaido, especially in those of Kitami province round Rube- 

 shibe and Oketo, it is fairly common, growing mixed with Picea jezoensis Carr., 

 P. Glehnii Mast., Abies sachalinensis Mast., Populus Maximovdczii Henry, Acan- 

 thopanax ricinifolius Seem., Ulmus japonica Sarg. and Acer pictum Thunb. On 

 the slopes of Shiribeshi-san in Shiribeshi province I found it growing between 

 1300 and 2000 m. altitude either prostrate on the ground or as a broad shrub from 

 1 to 2 m. high. I did not meet with it in Saghalien nor in Shikoku, but Shirasawa 

 reports it from the latter island. 



The largest trees I saw were from 15 to 16 m. tall and about 2 m. in girth of 

 trunk. The branches are usually very numerous, horizontally spreading or 

 ascending-spreading and form a flattened round and broad crown; occasionally the 

 branches are comparatively sparse and relatively short and the crown narrow and 

 irregular in outline. The bark is red-brown, sometimes grayish brown, and shal- 

 lowly fissured. When this Yew fruits it appears to bear very large crops and 

 many trees which I saw presented a wonderful sight with their wealth of scarlet 

 fruits. The wood is red or reddish brown, very hard, tough and durable. It is 

 very lasting in wet soil and on this account is valued for piles in the foundations 

 of houses and buildings generally. It is also highly esteemed for cabinet-work, 

 for carving and for indoor-decorations of better-class houses. Formerly the Japa- 

 nese used it for making bows, as do the Ainu people to the present day. In Hondo 

 the common name for this tree is Ichii and in Hokkaido it is Onko; less frequently 

 the Japanese term it Araragi and Suo-no-ki. 



The Ichii is very generally cultivated in Japan as a hedge plant, for topiary 

 work, as a tree or shrub or as a closely cut low bush. For the gardens of 

 eastern Massachusetts it is the most valuable evergreen that eastern Asia has 

 supplied. It is perfectly hardy and in full exposure to the sun its leaves retain 

 their dark-green color throughout the year, while those of most of the forms of 

 the European Yew under the same conditions brown very badly. 



The Japanese Yew was discovered by Thunberg; it was introduced into Eng- 

 land by Robert Fortune between 1854 and 1856, and sent by him to Mr. R. Glen- 

 dinning of Chiswick Nursery, Turnham Green. In his own words (in Gard. Chron. 

 1860, 170) Fortune says of its introduction: "This species was brought from Japan 

 to Shanghai and presented to me by the late Mr. Beale. I believe it is distinct 





