The leaves are green above, bluish-grey beneath, with an elongated ligule surrounded by a bundle of black hairs.
A Japanese species of vigorous growth, with robust green stems and bright-green leaves, polished above and slightly mealy beneath, the ligule bearing a little bundle of brownish-grey hairs at the top.
The pollen grains from the male cone are caught on the ligule and the pollen tubes enter the micropyle of the ovule, bringing in passive male cells which may develop in large numbers in each grain.
While another similarly obscure structure associated with the leaf is the little scale-like ligule l on its upper surface.
