7^ Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



lower surface with wide raised midrib and two narrow white bands, each of 

 5 to 6 lines of crowded minute stomata. A transverse section of the leaf shows 

 the margins pointed ami turned downwards; proportion of widtli to thickness 

 as 3'7 : 1 ; epidennal cells of the lower surface papillate ; hypoderm present 

 only in the centre, and very sparsely at the outer edges; idioblasts numerous ; 

 resin-canals with two layers of lining cells; cell-walls of the spongy mesophyll 

 infolded. 



Cones about 2J inches long and \\ inches wide, with 20 or more scales in 

 -,% phyllotaxis, and long retlexed bracts. Scales smaller than in P. sinensis, 

 about 1-j inches wide, witli exposed part very narrow, and more concave 

 internally. Bract with apical part retlexed over the scale in the next rank, 

 longer than in P. sinensis, with a long central awn and triangular acute 

 lateral lobes. Seed about ^ inch long, including the narrow-pointed pale 

 brown wing, the upper surface of which bears a few hairs near the lower inner 

 angle. The seed itself is dark shining brown above, and mottled light brown 

 beneath. 



Tliis tree is a native of western Yunnan, in China, where it grows at 

 10,000 feet allitutle in the Mekong Valley, lat. 27"' 40'. Young plants raised 

 from seed lately sent home by Forrest are in cultivation at Edinburgh. 



It is very closely allied to P. sinensis, the microscopic characters of the 

 leaf being very similar, liut it tlilVers in the cone and seed, and the leaves are 

 uiucli longer. For the present it should be kept distinct. 



Pseudotsuga japonica, IJcissncr, in Milt. Dcidsch. Bcndr. Gcs., v. 62 (1896). 

 I'siujii I I'.v udutiiuija) japonica, Shirasawa, in Tokyo Hot. Mag., ix. 86, 

 t. 3 (1895). 



The Japanese Douglas Fir attains about 100 feet in height. Branchlets 

 glabrous, yellowish in the firet year in native specimens, reddish in cultivated 

 trees, asliy grey in the second and third years; pulvini projecting at their 

 apices. Buds without resin. 



I.-eaves i>ectinate, bifid at the apex, about 1 inch long, thin, not glaucous ; 

 upper 8urftu;e with a median furrow from base to apex ; lower surface flat, 

 with two broad wliite bands, each of eight to ten lines of crowded minute 

 stomata. A transveree section shows, imder the microscope, the ratio of 

 breadth to thickness as 35 : 1 ; epidennal cells of the lower surface papillate ; 

 hypoderm absent e.Tcept in the middle line ; idioblasts present ; resin-canals 

 with only one layer of lining cells. 



Cones, the smallest of the genus, about 1^-1 jj inches long and 1 inch in 

 diameter, with few (15 to 20) scales in | phyllotaxis and short reflexed 

 bracts. Scales woody, about J inch wide, dark violet brown and glabrescent 



