40 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



where a relatively dry, hot climate obtains. Most commonly it is met with in 

 small groups, or as a solitary individual, shading tombs and wayside shrines, but 

 sometimes it forms extensive woods, usually with scrub oak as an undergrowth. 

 Young trees in habit and appearance closely resemble the Silver Firs, but with 

 age this resemblance disappears and the old trees with their massive branches 

 and irregularly shaped heads from a distance scarcely suggest a coniferous tree. 

 This Keteleeria grows from 25 to 40 m. tall and forms a trunk from 2 to 2.5 m. in 

 diameter, with large buttress-like roots spreading from the base of the bole. The 

 bark is rough, irregularly fissured and dark grey; the wood is resinous, close- 

 grained, easily worked and esteemed for building purposes and planking. The 

 branchlets are grey, glabrous or puberulous and are sometimes clothed with short, 

 ferruginous, villose tomentum. The leaves vary in length from 2 to 5 cm. and may 

 be rounded, emarginate, obtuse or acute at the apex. On young trees and on ad- 

 ventitious branches of old trees, the leaves are usually sharply acute and spinescent. 

 Usually the leaves are shining dark green on both surfaces but occasionally they 

 are shghtly glaucescent on the underside. The cones are quite erect, terminal on 

 short, lateral, spur-like, leafy branchlets from 1.5 to 3 cm. long, which serve as stout 

 peduncles. In length the cones vary from 5 to 20 cm., their average length being 

 from 10 to 15 cm. When quite young the cones are reddish but soon become 

 green and when ripe they are pale chestnut-brown. The bracts vary in shape 

 pomewhat according to age and size, and at maturity are usually more or less 

 laciniated at the apex, which may be erect or recurved. The cone-scales are per- 

 sistent and when the cone falls away the lower part with a few scales remains on 

 the tree. In dried specimens the leaves remain attached to the branches and in this 

 respect, and in the erect cones, Keteleeria resembles Abies, but in the persistent 

 character of the cone-scales it resembles Picea. 



The variation in the leaves and cones of this tree has produced some confu- 

 sion. The figure of Abies sacra Franchet represents an old cone from which 

 the seeds have fallen. In the figure of A. Davidiana Franchet the cone is practi- 

 cally ripe and full of seeds. Podocarpus sutchuenensis Franchet is founded on a 

 branch with male flowers and is typical K. Davidiana. It is doubtful if K. 

 Evelyniana Masters (in Card. Chron. ser. 3, XXXIII. 194, fig. 82 [1903]), K. for- 

 mosana Hayata (in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, XLIII. 194 [1908], K. Davidiana, var. 

 formosana Hayata in Jour. Coll. Sci. Tokyo, XXV. art. XIX. 221 (fl. Mont. 

 Formosae) [1908]) and K. Esquirolii L6veill6 (in Fedde, Rep. Sp. Nov. VIII. 60 

 [1910]) are really distinct from K. Davidiana. 



Pictures of this tree will be found under Nos. 502, 525, 528, 529, 530, 541, 554, 

 704, 035, 0144 in the collection of Wilson's photographs and also in his Vegetation 

 of Western China, Nos. 270-276. 



Here may be added a note on K. Fortunei. 



Keteleeria Fortunei Carriere in Rev. Hort. 1866, 449; 1887, 207, fig. 42-45; 1. c. 

 246; Traite Conif. ed. 2, 260 (1867). — Pirotta in Bull. Soc. Tosc. Ort. XII. 269 

 (1887). — Masters in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, II. 440 (1887) ; in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXVI. 

 555 (1902). — Beissner, Handb. Nadelholzk. 421, fig. 116 (1891). 



Abies Jezoensis Lindley in Lindley & Paxton, Fl. Gard. I. 42, fig. 26 (non 

 Siebold & Zuccarini) (1850); in Gard. Chron. 1850, 311, fig. — Planchon in 

 Fl. des Serres, IX. 7. x. (1853). 

 Pinus jezoensis Lemaire in Jard. Fleur. IV. Misc. 28, fig. (non Antoine) 



(1854). 

 Abies (Picea) Fortuni Murray in Proc. Hort. Soc. Lond. 1862, 421, fig. 82-97; 



Pines & Firs of Japan, 49, fig. 82-97. 

 Pinus Fortunei Parlatore in De Candolle, Prodr. XVI. pt. 2, 430 (1868). 



