HAMAMELIDACEAE. — DISTYLIUM 423 
DISTYLIUM Sieb. & Zucc. 
Distylium chinense Diels in Bot. Jahrb. XXIX. 380 (1900). — 
Hemsley in Hooker's Icon. XXIX. t. 2835 (1907). — Fedde, Rep. 
Nov. Sp. V. 340 (1908). 
Distylium racemosum, var. chinense Franchet apud Hemsley in Jour. Linn. 
Soc. XXIII. 290 (1887). 
Western Hupeh: Ichang, on rocks, sides of streams, alt. 30-300 
m., March 15, 1907 (No. 2961; bush 0.5-1.5 m. tall); vicinity of 
Ichang, sandy and rocky places, alt. 30-300 m., April 1907 (No. 3537; 
fluviatile shrub, 0.5-1.5 m. tall, flowers red); without locality, April 
1900 (Veitch Exped. No. 115); Ichang and immediate neighbourhood, 
A. Henry (Nos. 3314, 3826, 4280, 7805). 
This is one of the most common river-bank shrubs in western Hupeh and 
eastern Szech’uan, but does not ascend above 600 m. alt. In sand and shingle and 
on rocks it forms a dense scrub, often covering considerable stretches of the river 
banks. The leaves vary somewhat in size and may be quite entire or rather 
deeply toothed in the upper half; the deep red or crimson anthers are conspicuous 
when the plant is in flower. Pictures of this tree, called Shih-tou-koutzu by the 
Chinese, will be found under Nos. 8 and 491 of Wilson’s photographs and also in 
his Vegetation of Western China, Nos. 206 and 207. 
oblonga, acuminata, basi late cuneata, rarius rotundata, 9-13 cm. longa et 5-6 
cm. lata, margine leviter revoluta, remote serrulata dentibus fere ad mucronem 
brunneum reductis, utrinque glabra, supra obscure viridia, subtus paullo palli- 
diora, utrinsecus nervis 5-8 adscendentibus anastomosantibus ut costa media sub- 
tus elevatis; petioli validi, 1.5-2 em. longi; stipulae subulatae, tenues, caducae, 
2-5 mm. longae. Capitula fructifera axillaria, subterminalia, solitaria, pedunculo 
glabro 5-6.5 em. longo sustenta, globosa, 2.5-3 cm. diam.; capsulae ligneae, extus 
fulvo-tomentosulae, intus atrobrunneae, 5-8 mm. longae, stylo persistenti 2-4 mm. 
longo coronatae. s 
Yunnan: Mengtze, forests to the south-east, alt. 2000m., A. Henry (No. 10395, 
type); same locality, alt. 1600 m., A. Henry (No. 11082). 
Allied to A. ezcelsa Noronha which has pubescent young shoots, more mem- 
branous, rather differently shaped, more deeply serrated leaves, longer petioles 
and smaller fruits with much shorter persistent styles, being in fact nearly smooth. 
No. 11082 which belongs to the same species is “ said to be an enormous tree 
12 ft. in diameter, flowers found on the ground." This specimen consists of 
branches having young leaves and detached male inflorescences. The leaves and 
shoots are perfectly glabrous; the serrations more prominent than in the older 
aves; the inflorescences are narrowly paniculate, 6-8 cm. long, the rhachis covered 
with short yellowish crisped pubescence. 
