SPRUCE FIRS. 33 



The Japanese names for this Fir are, " Tsuga " (Yew-leaved) 

 and " Araragi " (Yew-like). It is much used in Japan for plant- 

 ing round sacred temples, on account of its graceful appear- 

 ance. There is the following variety : 



Abies Tsuga nana, Siebold, the Dwarf Tsuga Spruce. 

 This forms a little bush, seldom more than a yard high, with 

 much smaller and shorter leaves than the species. It is much 

 cultivated in pots, in their town gardens, by the Japanese, who 

 call it "Hime," or " Fime Tsuga" (the dwarf yew-leaved 

 Spruce). 



NEW OR DOUBTFUL SPECIES OF ABIES. 

 Abies Maximowiczii, Neivmann, Maximowicz's Spruce. 

 Of this kind very little is known, except that the young 

 plants in cultivation are very like those of Abies Alcockiana. 



Gen. ACTINOSTROBUS. Miquel 



Floivers, monoecious, or male and female on the same plant, 

 but separate and terminal; the male catkins egg-shaped, or 

 somewhat globular, the female ones solitary and globular. 



Cones, somewhat globular, solitary, and composed of six scales, 

 disposed in two vertical sets at the base, and woody. 



Valves or Scales, convex on the back, those at the base mucl 

 the shortest, with the interior ones much the largest. 



Seeds, in twos, under each of the upper scales three-edged, 

 and winged on each side. 



Seed-leaves, in twos. 



Leaves, persistent, scale-formed, very small, in whorls of 

 three, stiff, and very acute pointed. 



Name derived from a/cu? (aktis), a ray, and arpo/3o<; (stro- 

 bus), a cone ; the scales radiated. 



Pyramidal bushes, found on the south-west coast of New 

 Holland. 



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