VEITCIIIA. 105 



Gen. TORREYA, Arnott, the Stinking Yews. 

 ToRREYA NUCiFERA, ZuccaHni, the Nut-bearing Torreya. 

 This species is called " Fi-Koja'' (slender Yew) by the Ja- 

 panese, and, according to KsDmpfer, is very frequent in the 

 northern provinces of Japan, where it forms a tree 20 feet high, 

 with many opposite scaly branches. Dr. Royle erroneously 

 (as pointed out by Major Madden) extends its habitat to the 

 Choor and Kedarkanta mountains in Sirmore and Gurhwal, he 

 having confounded Taxus (Torreya) nucifera with Taxus Wal- 

 lichiana, under the mere provincial variations of " Thoona,'* 

 and " Thooner," from the Sanscrit " Thooner-Birmee" (Taxus 

 Wallichiana), and so copied an error committed by Dr. Wal- 

 lich, of long standing. 



Gen. VEITCHIA, Lindky, the Japan Veitchia. 

 This is a new Genus, according to Dr. Lindley, with the 

 seeds of a Chamsecyparis, the leaves of an Abies, and cones, 

 which become, when ripe, more like spherical honey-combs than 

 anything else to which it can be compared. He also says, 

 *' One would fancy the plant to represent an Abies, permanently 

 assuming in the cone the monstrous form so often given to the 

 common Spruce, by the attacks of insects, and struggling on- 

 wards to become a Sciadopitys or a Cryptomeria." Nothing 

 more seems to be known about this Genus as regards stature or 

 its habitats in Japan. 



Veitchia Japonic a, Lindley, the Japan Veitchia. 

 Leaves linear, half an inch long, blunt-pointed, and glaucous 

 beneath. Branches short, and covered with spirally arranged 

 projecting, curved pulvines (cushions), resembling those of 

 Abies Menziesii. At the base of each branchlet is a small cup, 

 formed of recurved scales, from which branchlets emerge when 

 young. Cones erect, downy, nearly spherical, and about an 

 inch in diameter ; before ripening, furnished with incurved, 

 horn-like, projecting bracteal scales, which, at maturity, break 

 and disclose as many four-sided sockets or cavities, within which 



