46 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



face of the leaves, however, at once shows that it is not a Keteleeria. The species 

 is characterized by its' relatively long, shining green leaves, glabrous yellow-grey 

 branchlets, ovoid, acute, slightly resinous winter-buds and by its symmetrical ovoid- 

 cylindric, pale brown cones with small orbicular bracts and very large cone-scales 

 and seeds. It is most closely related to A. firma Siebold & Zuccarini, which 

 usually has four resin-ducts (two median and two lateral) in the leaf and sclero- 

 tic cells in the parenchjTna, dark grey, sometimes reddish, two-year old shoots, 

 more slender cones with narrowly cuneate bracts as long or nearly as long as the 

 cone-scale each furnished with a long, lanceolate, pungent cuspis which is promi- 

 nently exserted. The affinity of A. chensiensis Van Tieghem with A. Beissneriana 

 Rehder & Wilson, is pointed out under the latter species. 



Abies chensiensis is a comparatively rare tree in north-western Hupeh. It 

 grows to a very large size but the timber is soft and of little value. 



Abies Beissneriana Rehder & Wilson, n. sp. 



Abies firma Masters in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXXVII. 422 (non Siebold & Zucca- 

 rini) (1906), quoad specimen Wilsonianum, No. 3020. 



Arbor excelsa, ad 60 m. alta, triinco ad 6 m. diam. ; cortex obscure 

 griseus, subtus brunnescens, fissus; ramuli hornotini nitiduli, glabri, 

 rarissime primo juventute puberuli, flavidi, annotini albido-cinerei ; 

 pulvini prominentes, rhombici v. fere lineares; cicatrices orbiculares, 

 impressi, cinerei; gemmae ovatae, valde resinosae, inter folia abscon- 

 ditae, perulis brunneis ovatis acutiusculis v. obtuse acuminatis per- 

 sistentibus bases ramulorum cingentibus. Folia spiraliter disposita, 

 adscendentia v. erecto-patentia v. patentia, lineari-ligulata, acuta et 

 pungentia v. obtusa, rarius obsolete emarginata, supra basin leviter 

 constricta, 1-3 cm., plerumque 2 cm. longa et 1.5-2 mm. lata, supra 

 fere plana, rarius medio leviter impressa, subtus carinata, supra 

 atroviridia, subtus pallidiora v. glaucescentia, saepe utrinque stomati- 

 fera; canales resiniferi duo laterales sub epidermate positi; hypodermis 

 in facie ventrali contigua crassa, in facie dorsali tantum sub costa et 

 secus marginem evoluta. Strobili pedunculati, cylindrici, rarius 

 ovoideo-cylindrici, apice truncati, saepe leviter angu^ati, basi rotun- 

 dati, 5-8 cm. longi et 3-3.5 cm. diam., juventate violaceo-purpurei, 

 deinde griseo-virides, sub maturitate griseo-brunnei; bracteae squamis 

 dimidio breviores, obovatae, cuneatae, apice truncatae, emarginatae, 

 breviter cuspidatae, denticulatae; squamae cuneato-obovatae, apice 

 rotundatae, saepe leviter erosae, nee incrassatae, basin versus subito 

 angustatae, interdum auriculatae et unguiculatae ; pedunculi dense 

 bracteati, resinosi, circiter 1 cm. longi. Semina alls squamam fere 

 aequantibus rotundatis nitidis pallide brunneis. 



Western Szech'uan: north-east of Tachien-lu Ta-p'ao-shan, 

 forests, alt. 2600-3800 m., abundant, July 1908 (Nos. 2090, type, 



