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The genus comprises three species, two inhabiting western North America, and the third restricted to small areas in Japan and Formosa. In the absence of cones, they are distinguishable as follows:—
- 1. Pseudotsuga Douglasii, Carriére. Western North America.
- Branchlets usually pubescent, occasionally glabrous. Leaves straight, undivided at the apex.
- 2, Pseudotsuga macrocarpa, Mayr. Southern California.
- Branchlets covered with short, stiff pubescence. Leaves curved, undivided at the apex.
- 3. Pseudotsuga japonica, Sargent. Japan, Formosa.
- Branchlets glabrous. Leaves straight or curved, bifid at the apex.
The latter two species, not being yet introduced into England, will now be briefly dealt with.
Pseupotsuga Macrocarpa, Mayr, Wald. Nordamer. 278 (1890); Sargent, Silva N. Amer. xii. 93, t. 608 (1898), and Trees N. America, 54 (1905).
- Abies Douglasti, var. macrocarpa, Torrey, Ives’ Rep. pt. iv. 28 (1861).
- Abies macrocarpa, Vasey, Gardeners’ Monthly, xviii. 21 (1876).
- Tsuga macrocarpa, Lemmon, Pacific Rural Press, xvii. No. 5, p. 75 (1879).
- Pseudotsuga Douglasii, var. macrocarpa, Engelmann, in Brewer and Watson, Bot. Calif. ii. 120 (1880).
- Abietia Douglasii, var. macrocarpa, Kent, Veitch’s Man. Coniferæ, 478 (1900).
A tree usually 50, rarely 80 feet high, with a trunk 3 to 4 feet in diameter. It differs from the common species in the following characters :— Branches com- paratively larger and more remotely placed. Branchlets covered with a short, stiff, white pubescence. Leaves, ¾ to 1 inch long, resembling those of P. Douglasii, except that they are distinctly curved. Buds short and broad, usually not more than } inch long. Cones very large, 4½ to 6 inches long; scales 1½ to 2 inches wide, thick, very concave, puberulous on the outer surface ; bracts, only slightly exserted, short, narrow, with broad midribs produced into short flattened flexible tips. Seeds, ½ inch long, dark brown or nearly black and shining above, pale brown below ; wing ½ inch long.
This species’ occupies an isolated area in the arid mountains of southern California, at 3000 to 5000 feet elevation, forming open groves or growing in mixture with oak and pines on western and southern slopes. Its distribution extends from the Santa Inez Mountains near Santa Barbara on the coast to the Cuyamaca Mountains on the southern border of California.
Pseudotsuga Japonica, Sargent, Silva N. Amer. xii. 84, adnot. 2 (1898); Shirasawa, Icon. Ess. Forest. Japon, text 21, t. 7 (1900).
- Tsuga japonica, Shirasawa, Tokyo Bot. Mag. ix. 86, t. 3 (1895).
This species is not represented by dried material in European herbaria; but I have seen a specimen’ recently sent from Japan by Capt. L. Clinton Baker, R.N.
1 A view of a forest of this species is given in Garden and Forest, x. 24, f. 5 (1897).
2 The buds on this specimen were not developed ; but the scales of the previous season’s buds remained persistent at the base of the branchlets, and resembled those of P. Douglasii.