186 "WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



^C 



white); Hsing-shan Hsien, thickets, alt. 1600-2300 m., common, May 

 and October 1907 (No. 122*; small tree, 8 m. tall, flowers white, 

 fragrant) ; same locality, woodlands, alt, 1600-2500 m., common, May 

 11, 1907 (No. 185^; bush or small tree, 3-6 m. tall, flowers blush- 

 pink); Changyang Hsien, woodlands, alt. 1600-2000 m., May 1907 

 (No. 122^; bush or small tree 3-6 m., flowers pale pink); without 

 locality, April and September 1900 (Veitch Exped. No. 14); without 

 7 locality, A. Eenry (Nos. 4536, 5468, 7651% 5751% 7651). Eastern 

 Szech'uan: Wushan Hsien, A, Henry (Nos. 5751, 5683). Shensi: 

 north-west of Hanchung Hsien, 1901, TT. Purdom (Nos. 3161, 316); 

 north-west of Hanchung Hsien, Moutan-shan, alt. 1500 m., 1910, 

 T7. Purdom (No. 365); Tai-pai-shan, 1910, TF. Purdom (No. 446); 

 '* Lao-y-san/' June 4, 1897, G, Giraldi] '' Qua-in-san," July 16, 1897, 

 G. Giraldi] '' M. Kin-tou-san," July 14, 1897, (?. Giraldi. 



Very common on the margins of woods and thickets in western Hupeh and 

 eastern Szech'uan and the most beautiful species of the genus. Though usually 

 a large bush it very often forms a shapely tree from 8 to 10 m. tall, with a slender 

 trunk clothed with smooth, grayish bark. The flowers are pure white or pale pink, 

 relatively large and are borne in pendulous cymose clusters from the leaf axils of 

 the naked shoots of the previous season and usually open before the leaves unfold. 

 Occasionally the cymes are subtended by 1 or 2 pairs of leaves and sometimes the 

 leaves unfold almost simultaneously with the opening of the flowers. The in- 

 florescence varies in length from 4-10 cm.; the leaflets also are somewhat variable 

 in size and shape. The capsule is usually pyriform and abruptly acuminate when 

 perfectly ripe, but the shape varies and is dependent upon the degree of coherence 

 of the styles which often differs in the same inflorescence. The upper part of the 

 ovarj- and the basal part of the style are villose. 



This species is closely related to S. Emodi Wallich, which has larger, more 

 membranous leaves, longer petioles, an inflorescence terminal on the leafy shoot of 

 the season, developing with and after the leaves as in S. pinnata Linnaeus, a 

 glabrous pistil, and yellow-brown seeds which are twice the size of the grayish- 

 brown seeds of S. holocarpa. 



Staphylea holocarpa, var. rosea Rehder & Wilson, n. var. 



A typo recedit foliolis subtus initio tomento albido villoso obtectis 

 demum secus basin costae tantum albido-villosis, foliis rarissime 

 bijugis, floribus roseis 1-1.5 cm. longis. 



Western Hupeh: Fang Hsien, margins of woods, alt. 1600- 

 2500 m., May 20, September 1907 (No. 185, type; tree 6 m. tall, 

 flowers rosy-pink); Hsing-shan Hsien, thickets, alt. 1600-2500 m., 

 August 1907 (No. 185^ bush or small tree 3-6 m.); same locality, alt. 

 2600 m., May and September 1901 (Veitch Exped. No. 1860) ; Chang- 

 yang Hsien, woodlands, alt. 1600-2300 m., September 1907 (No. 

 122; bush or small tree, 3-8 m. tall). Western Szech'uan: Wa- 



