Ohwi 1985 Flora of Japan

Tree with smooth grayish bark; buds purplish; branchlets grayish or reddish brown, rather densely puberulent with patent grayish brown hairs; leaves linear, 1-2.5 cm. long, about 2 mm. wide, slightly emarginate, not broadened at tip, with 2 whitish stomatai bands beneath; cones cylindric, about 5 cm. long, bluish purple while young, the scales 10-13 mm. wide, entire, the bracts slightly exserted, reflexed; seeds with a short wing nearly as long as the seed. Mountains; Honshu (Fukushima pref, and westw. to centr. distr. and Yamato), Shikoku. In Shikoku, this species has smaller, more rounded cones, 4，4.5 cm. long, and leaves slightly broadened at tip. This phase sometimes is called A. sikokiana Nakai.

var. nikkoensis Mayr. Cones smaller, and the bracts nearly hidden.

var. olivacea Shiras. Cones greenish, becoming grayish brown when mature. Honshu (centr. distr.).