90 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Picea hondoensis. Leaves flat, with bands of stomata confined to the dorsal 

 surface. On the lower surface of lateral branchlets the twig is bare, with the leaves 

 directed outwards at right angles. 



Picea Alcockiana. Leaves quadrangular in section, with lines of stomata on the 

 ventral surface, in addition to the bands of stomata on the dorsal surface. On the 

 lower surface of lateral branchlets the twig is not quite bare, and the leaves are 

 directed forwards at an acute angle. 



Picea hondoensis, Picea ajanensis, and Picea sitchensis have been distinguished, 

 so far as leaves and branchlets are concerned, in the key to Section Omorica. The 

 cones of these three species are much alike. Those of Picea sitchensis, however, 

 have scales oblong in outline, with their upper edge scarcely emarginate or 

 erose ; the bracts are large and visible between the scales towards the base of the 

 cone. In the other two species the scales of the cones are oval with erose margins, 

 while the bracts are minute, concealed, and differently shaped. 



The cones of Picea Alcockiana differ considerably from those of the three 

 preceding species. Their scales are rounded, being nearly semicircular in outline, 

 with the upper edge almost entire or only minutely denticulate ; and their outer 

 surface is markedly striated. 



Distribution 



Picea hondoensis is confined to the central chain of mountains in the main 

 island of Japan, occurring at altitudes above 4000 feet. Shirasawa (loc. cit.) 

 mentions as localities, Fuji, Mitake, Novikura, Sirane to Nikko, Chokarsan to Ugo, 

 etc. ; and says that in the lower levels it is accompanied by Tsuga diversifolia, and 

 ascends to 8000 feet in company with Abies Veitchii. Mayr states that on Fuji it 

 is accompanied by Picea bicolor {Alcockiana), both occurring in mixed woods with 

 Larix leptolepis and Abies Veitchii. Farther north, Picea polita joins the two 

 spruces just named ; and all three reach their northern limit in the high mountains 

 of Iwashiro at 38^ lat. Its southern limit is 35 lat. 



Elwes saw very little of this tree in Japan, but near the top of the Wada-toge 

 pass there were some small spruces growing at about 4500 feet elevation, which he 

 believes to have been this species. Tohi is the Japanese name. 



Introduction 



Picea hondoensis was introduced in 1861 by John Gould Veitch. It was dis- 

 tributed as Abies Alcopiiana, an unfortunate circumstance, due to the fact that the 

 seeds of the two spruces growing on Fujiyama {Picea hondoensis and Alcockiana) 

 were both collected for Mr. Veitch by natives and were mixed together. Dr. 

 Masters cleared up the question as to the distinctness of these two species in an 

 article in the Gardeners' Chronicle,^ in which, however, he retained the name Picea 

 aj'atunsis for the spruce, which Mayr afterwards separated as Picea hondoensis. If 



" Card, Chron. 1 880, i. 115, and ii. 427. 



