208 46. LEGUMINOSJ3 : C^SALPINE^E. 



p. 33, et Diet. Bot. i. p. 781, sub Chicot ; Oliver in Hook. Ic. PI. 

 xv. p. 9, t. 1412 ; Bretschn. Notes on Bot. Quest. Exp. Trade 

 China, p. 14 ; Hanb. Sc. Pap. p. 238, fig. 5 (Dialium ?). 



Anwhei: Wuhu (Bulloch, lib. Hancel); Chekiang: near 

 Ningpo (Forbes I Carles?), Waikung (Bourne !); Kiangsi : Kiu- 

 kiang (Shearer ! Maries I); Hitpeh: Ichang and Nanto (A. 

 Henry !) Mus. Brit. ; Herb. Kew. 



This is the Soap-tree, the Fei-tsao-tou, or fat black bean of 

 the Chinese, used by women in washing their head and hair. 

 Baillon records it as growing abundantly in the neighbourhood 

 of Shanghai ; but we have seen no specimens from that part- 

 Bretschneider states that the seeds are taken from Szechuen and 

 Kiangsi to Kiukiang and Hankow. The oldest specimen in the 

 Kew Herbarium was collected in 1873 by Dr. Shearer, and is 

 accompanied by his general label "Kiukiang" and a supple- 

 mentary one bearing the inscription " Soap-tree, Fuy tsow, 

 Wuchanglin." 



Dr. A. Henry's Hupeh specimens are very fine, and include 

 leaves upwards of 2 feet long. He states that it occurs at the 

 first rapids at Nanto. 



1. Gleditschia australis, Hemsl,, n. sp. (Plate V.) 



Arbor ramulis floriferis glabris vel citissimo glabrescentibus. 

 Folia pinnata vel bipinnata, breviter petiolata ; foliola numerosa, 

 sessilia, subcoriacea (ut videtur discoloria), supra nitida, oblique 

 oblonga, 1-2 poll, longa, saepius emarginata, crenata, venis laxi- 

 uscule reticulatis. Flores S parvi, puberuli, racemoso-pani- 



culati, racemis f oliis brevioribus. Flores $ Legumen 



sessile, 4-5 poll, longum et 1 poll, latum, coriaceum, glaucum, 

 demum nitidum, valde compressum, bullatum, saepius curvatum 

 vel leviter flexuosum, nee tortum, circiter 12-spermum ; semina 

 confertissima, oblonga, fere teretia, circiter semipollicaria, lsevia, 

 glabra, pallide fusca. — G. sinensis, auctorum plurimorum, nee 

 Lam. 



South China : without locality (Beechey !); Hongkong (Ford ! 

 Sance, 18780 !). Mus. Brit. ; Herb. Kew. 



A specimen in the Paris Herbarium from Tonquin is probably 

 this species. 



"We are in doubt whether the Q. sinensis of Bentham's ' Flora 

 Hongkongensis ' should be referred here ; but it certainly is not 



