males. The leaves were fully developed in July. For the 

 fine fruits I am indebted to the kindness of continental 

 correspondents; the apple-shaped ones were received in 

 August of last year from M. Max Cornu, of Paris, and were 

 ripened in the Jardin de Plantes. The pyriform ones 

 were received in October from M. J. Van Volxem, of 

 Brussels. The seeds are described as being eaten by the 

 Chinese. 



Desce. A deciduous glabrous or puberulous shrub or 

 small tree, copiously leafy. Leaves opposite, eight to twelve 

 inches long, pinnate ; petiole short and rachis slender, 

 nearly terete; leaflets alternate,' sessile, linear-oblong or 

 oblong-lanceolate, acute, coarsely serrate, the tips of the 

 leaflets and serratures apiculate,dark green above and glossy, 

 paler beneath. Flowers in copious lateral racemes, eight 

 to ten inches long, from shoots at the sides of the branches, 

 appearing before the leaves, at first suberect, then drooping ; 

 peduncle short; rachis stout; bracts oblong, obtuse or 

 subacute ; pedicels a quarter to one-third of an inch long, 

 rather stout. Sepals five, oblong, obtuse, green. Petals 

 spreading and recurved, spathulately obovate, white with 

 blood-red streaks at the base. Disk with five cylinclric 

 suberect obtuse horns that are curved outwards and alter- 

 nate with the stamens. Stamens eight, filaments slender, 

 erect ; anthers gland-tipped, oblong ; in the female flower 

 they are shorter, imperfect, and surround the ovary. 

 Ovary in the female flower ellipsoid, narrowed into a short 

 grooved style with three connate stigmas, three-celled; 

 ovules about eight in each cell. Fruit a globose or pyri- 

 form capsule, with very thick walls, tardily splitting into 

 three valves, with a spongy white inner surface. Seeds 

 globose, of a fine purple-brown colour. — J. D. H. 



Fig. 1, Flower-bud ; 2, male flower with perianth removed ; 3, stamens ; 4, 

 ovary; o, female flower with perianth removed; 6, section of ovary ; 7, fruit from 

 the Jardin de Plantes ; 8, fruit from M. Van Volxem ; 9, the same dehisced, showing 

 the seeds -.—Jigs. 1-8 enlarged. 



