Page:TheTreesOfGreatBritainAndIreland vol01.djvu/156

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A tall tree, attaining in Japan a height of 150 feet or more, and a girth of 20 to 25 feet, the trunk tapering from a broad base. Bark reddish brown, and peeling off in long, ribbon-like shreds. Leaves persistent for 4 or 5 years, arranged spirally on the shoots in five ranks, curving inwards and directed forwards, awl-shaped, tapering to a point, compressed laterally, keeled on front and back, bearing stomata on both sides, with the base decurrent on the branchlet to the insertion of the next leaf The buds are minute, and composed of three minute leaves, which are free at the base, and not decurrent.

The male flowers are clustered at the ends of the branchlets in false racemes, the leaves in the axils of which they arise being reduced in size, and fulfilling the function of bracts. They appear on the tree in autumn and shed their pollen in early spring, remaining for some time afterwards in a withered state.

The buds of the female flowers are also to be seen in autumn terminating some of the branchlets, and covered externally with small, awl-shaped leaves.

The shoot is frequently continued in the leafy state throughout the cone ("proliferation"), and the extended portion often grows to several inches in length beyond the cone, and even in some cases bears male catkins.

Woody excrescences of a conical shape often develop on the stem, to which they are loosely connected. They correspond to the "wood-balls" which are found on beeches and cedars, and like these are due to abnormal development of dormant buds.

Seedling: the cotyledons, which are generally 3 in number, the occurrence of 2 only being rare, are carried above ground by an erect caulicle, about ½ inch long, ending below in a primary root, which is reddish, flexuous, and about 3 inches long, giving off a few lateral fibres. The cotyledons are linear, flattened, obtuse, and about ¼ inch long; two, narrowed at the base, are prolonged on the caulicle as ribs; the other, sessile on a broad base, is not decurrent; all bear stomata on their upper surface. The first leaves on the stem are in a whorl of 3, similar in shape to the cotyledons, but longer and with slightly decurrent bases. The leaves following are inserted spirally on the stem, and are longer, sharper-pointed, and more decurrent. All are spreading, with stomata and a prominent median nerve on their lower surface. The stem, roughened by the leaf-bases, terminates above in a cluster of 5 to 6 leaves, crowded at their insertion and directed upwards.