PINACEAE. ABIES SACHALINENSIS 63 



these are the largest I saw. In Saghalien the maximum size is from 16 to 25 m. by 

 about 1.6 m. in girth of trunk. In habit and general appearance this Fir strongly 

 resembles A. Veitchii Lindl. The bark is perfectly smooth, almost white and full 

 of resin-pustules. The branches are short and slender and the leaves are rather 

 long, soft to the touch, rounded and emarginate. The shoots are more or less densely 

 clothed with short, gray or rufous-gray pubescence; the winter-buds are small, 

 bluish, subglobose and are covered with resin. The cone is greenish purple with 

 exserted pale green recurved bracts which when dry are pale and shining brownish 

 gray; it is cylindrical, tapering at the summit, from 5 to 7.5 cm. long and from 2.5 

 to 3 cm. wide. Colloquially known as Todo-matsu, this Fir is the only species appre- 

 ciated by the Japanese for the value of its wood, which is white and is extensively 

 used in house and ship building, and in making furniture and paper. For these 

 purposes it is used locally and is exported from Hokkaido in quantity to other 

 parts of Japan. 



This species does not occur on the main island (Hondo) of Japan and is, as 

 far as our present knowledge goes, confined to Hokkaido, the Kurile Islands and 

 to Saghalien. It has not been reported from continental eastern Asia. In the 

 forest it reproduces itself readily from self-sown seeds, but the forestry officials 

 informed me that their efforts at reafforesting with this Fir had not been success- 

 ful. Abies sachalinensis was discovered in 1866 by Fr. Schmidt on the island of 

 Saghalien; in July 1878 seeds were received in this Arboretum from W. A. Clark 

 of the Agricultural College, Sapporo, and plants of this origin were growing here 

 until quite recently. In 1879 Maries sent seeds from Hokkaido to Messrs. Veitch 

 and in 1892 Professor Sargent secured seeds, and many plants from this source 

 are now growing here, the largest being about 6 m. tall. It is perfectly hardy in 

 this Arboretum and it grows fairly well, but with its short sparse branches and 

 spire-like habit it cannot be called ornamental. One or two of our plants, how- 

 ever, are bushy and have fairly long branches. The small bluish winter-buds 

 are very characteristic and in winter afford a ready means for identifying this 

 species. 



Of the form with red bark, dark red wood and red cone-bracts discovered by 

 Dr. K. Miyabe (Sargent, Forest Fl. Jap. 83 [1894]) I saw nothing. Plants of this 

 form raised from seed received from Miyabe in December 1892 are growing in 

 this Arboretum, but are indistinguishable from those of the type. A variety of 

 this species is 



Abies sachalinensis, var. nemorensis Mayr, Monog. Abiet. Jap. 43, 86, t. 3, 

 fig. 6 (1890). 



Pinus sachalinensis, f. nemorensis Voss in Putlitz & Meyer, Landlexikon, IV. 777 



(1913). 

 Abies nemorensis Miyabe & Miyake, Fl. Saghal. 598 (1915). 



I saw this variety in Saghalien only, growing in the forests at Konuma, a few 

 miles from Toyohara, mixed with the type. In my specimens the bracts are quite 

 included and this and their more violet hue give the cone an entirely different 

 aspect. There are no apparent differences in the habit and general appearance of 

 this variety and I do not think it is entitled to higher rank. The cone of Abies 

 Veitchii Lindl., which is somewhat like that of this variety, may be distinguished 

 by its much smaller cone-scales. The shape of the cones is also rather different. 



Mayr gives northeastern Hokkaido and the Kurile Islands as the region of 

 distribution of this variety. Japanese forestry officers informed me that their 



