THE CONIFERS, II. 



OF the true Pines of Japan two species are valuable timber-trees ; these are Finns densi- 

 flora and Finns Thunbergii ; both bear an important part in the decoration of Japanese 

 gardens, and one at least has had its influence in all expressions of the artistic temperament 

 of the people. All the Pine-woods of Japan, except those found on the upper slopes of some 

 of the high mountains of central Hondo, have evidently been planted. Such planted woods 

 are often seen covering sandy plains near the coast, and the principal highways of the empire 

 are shaded by avenues of these Pines, except where Cryptomerias replace them when moun- 

 tains are crossed. Of the two species the Black Pine, Finns Thnnbergii, appears to be the 

 most commonly cultivated, and to grow to the larger size. Of its distribution and appearance 

 when growing naturally I was not able to get an idea, as all the plants I saw had evidently 

 been planted by man. It is of this species that the plantations of the coast are mostly formed, 

 although the two species are generally found mixed together in all plantations ; and it is this 

 species which is usually selected by the Japanese gardener when he wants to make the 

 branches of a Pine-tree cover an arbor or hang suspended over the sides of a moated wall, 

 and which is found in every garden and is most revered by the Japanese. Pinus Thun- 

 bergii is one of the most picturesque of Pines, with a broad head of stout contorted some- 

 what pendulous branches, often growing to the height of eighty feet, and producing trunks 

 three feet through. Its dark deeply furrowed bark, darker colored and thicker leaves and 

 white buds serve to distinguish it from the Red Pine, Pinus densiflora, which is a tree of 

 high altitudes, and which, although planted in large plantations and by the sides of high- 

 ways, does not appear to be such a favorite in gardens as the Black Pine. The Red Pine 

 we saw growing wild high up on Mount Koma-ga-take, in central Hondo, and on the Nikko 

 Mountains, where, at about 3,000 feet above the sea-level, it is not rare. It is a more 

 slender tree than the Black Pine, with thinner lighter green leaves. The bark on the upper 

 part of the trunk and on the main branches is light red, separating in thin scales, so that 

 a forest of these trees presents a bright and cheerful appearance. Several varieties of the 

 two species recognized by Japanese gardeners are described by Mayr, who also found what he 

 thought was a hybrid between them. 1 The wood of the two species is very similar, and, 

 apparently, is not distinguished in Japanese lumber-yards. It is coarse-grained, resinous, and 

 moderately strong, and is used in great quantities in all sorts of coarse construction, and as 

 fuel, the rapid growth of the trees on soil too poor to produce more valuable crops to 

 advantage rendering it exceedingly cheap. These two Pines have long inhabited our gardens, 

 where they are hardy and grow with great rapidity, some of the oldest plants of the Red Pine 

 here already beginning to show the picturesque habit which in their native country constitutes 

 the charm of these trees. 



1 Die Abietineen des Japanischen Reiches, 83, t. 7, f. 2, 3, 4. 



