229 



G-eorgi, in his " G-eographiseh-physikalische mid naturhistorische Beschreibung des 

 Russischen Iv-ichs," nr, 4, p. 102!), mentions the occurrence of Rubus frutic08U8, L., in 

 the Kurile Islands. It is most probable that ho mistook sonic other black-berried species 

 for the plant, for we know that Jiubus fruilcosus has thus far been found in a wild state 

 only in Europe and in western Asia as far east as the western temperate Himalaya. 



Growing in Yezo and in the alpine districts of the main island of Japan there is a 

 speeies of Rubus with a fruit which is dark-purple when ripe. In its general characters 

 it approaches very closely Rubus OCCldentalis of North America. It forms a shrubby 

 bush, with somew hat recurved stems, which are generally dest itute of prickles and glau- 

 cous. Young blanches and petioles arc villosely tomentose, armed with more or less 



recurved prickles, and often covered with glandular hairs, which are especially promi- 

 nent on peduncles and pedicels. The leaves are pinnately 3-foliolate; the leaflets broadly- 

 ovate, coarsely doubly-serrate, caneseently tonientose beneath, the terminal sometimes 

 subcordate at base, and the lateral distinctly short-petioled. The midribs are armed be- 

 neath with a few recurved prickles, and the stipules arc setaceous. Axillary peduncles 

 1-3-flowered, the terminal generally 8-10-flowered in a close rounded corymb; pedicels 

 once to twice the length of the calyx lobes, and both calyx and pedicel destitute of 

 prickles. The fruit is roundish, glaucous, and dark-purple when ripe. A partly ripened 

 fruit when dried hardens up close to the stones, showing the lacunose markings on the 

 surface. 



From the typical form of Rubus occidentalis it is distinguished chiefly by its younger 

 branches being villosely tomcntosc intermixed often with glandular hairs, and by its ped- 

 icels being destitute of prickles. The fruits are somewhat smaller and much more closely 

 clustered. In other respects there are striking resemblances between these two plants. 



From Rubus Idceus, var. strigosus it is easily distinguished by the petioled lateral leaf- 

 lets, by the absence of prickles on the calyx, by the shape of the inflorescence, and above 

 all by the color of the ripened fruits. 



This plant has generally been taken in Japan to be a variety of Rubus Idceus, doubt- 

 less from the fact that its ripened fruits were not known to collectors. From the de- 

 scriptions given by Franchet & Savatier of their J?. Idceus, var. exsicca, there is no doubt 

 that their plant is the same as ours. Our plant, however, is very closely related to R. 

 occidentalis and should not be placed under R. Idceus. As the former is a variable plant 

 and is very widely dispersed through the continent of North America, 1 I prefer to con- 

 sider our plant as its variety rather than as a distinct new species: — 



82. Rubus occidentalis var. japonicus, L. Sp. p. 493 ; Torr. & Gray, Fl. Am. I, p. 453. 



R. Idwus, var. exsicca, Fr. & Sav. Eiuim. n, p. 334; Matsumura, Cat. PI. Herb. 



Imp. Univ. Tokyo, p. 57. 

 Hcd). In the alpine woods of middle Japan: Komagatake, Prov. Shinano ( Yatabe) ; 

 Nikko (Savatier) ; " Niphon media" (Tschonoski!) ; Yezo: in rich alluvial woods, Sapporo 

 (K. M., July, 1880, fl.) ; in cleared forests, Samani Sando, Prov. Hidaka (K. M., Aug. 19, 

 1884, fr.) ; Kurile Islands? (Georgi). 



83. Geum strictum, Ait. Ilort. Kew. n, p. 217; Ledeb. Fl. Ross, n, p. 22; Torr. & Gray, 



1 Focke, Batograpliische Abliaml. in Ntiturw. Verein zu Bremen tv, pp 147 uuel 166. 



