form and toothing as fitnbristipula. Another difficulty is 

 to determine the section of the huge genus to which this 

 species should be referred. It agrees with none in De 

 Candolle's monograph (Prodr. v. xv. pars. i.). According to 

 his Clavis (p. 403) it should fall into Dysmorphia, with two 

 Peninsular Indian species (B. vrenata, Dryandr., and B. 

 canarana, Miq.) ; but these are described as having anthers 

 dehiscing by pores, four to five sepals in the female flower, 

 connate styles, and inflated capsules. 



Hance supposes his B. fimbristipula (with which this 

 must go) to be most nearly allied to B. parimliflora, A. DC, 

 which belongs to the section Paruibegonia, and which 

 should have four to five segments in the female flower, and 

 deciduous styles. According to the grouping of the species 

 sketched out in the " Genera Plantarum," it falls into the 

 fourth series, and would be included in an enlarged view of 

 Platycentrum (inclusive of Knesebechia). Its nearest ally in 

 floral structure appears to me to be B. sinensis of A. DC, 

 a caulescent species of very different habit, referred by 

 A. de Candolle to Knesebechia. 



A similar species to B. fimbristipula, of which leaves are 

 preserved in the Kew Herbarium, is extensively used by 

 the Chinese as a drug. The leaves are of a brilliant red- 

 purple colour. 



Our specimens were raised from tubers sent by Mr. Ford 

 from the Hongkong Botanical Gardens in 1885, and 

 flowered in April, 1886. The flowers are sweet-scented, 

 like roses. 



Descr. Root tuberous. Leaf solitary, attaining six inches 

 in breadth, orbicular-cordate with overlapping basal lobes, 

 obtuse or subacute, palmately seven- to nine-nerved, ob- 

 scurely denticulate, sparsely hirtellous on the upper surface 

 and on the nerves beneath, deep green above, pale inclining 

 to red beneath ; petiole rather stout, shorter than the blade, 

 sparsely hirsute ; stipules oblong, fimbriately ciliate. Scape 

 six inches high, slender, glabrous, bearing a trichotomous 

 cyme of rose-coloured and -scented flowers of both sexes ; 

 bracts at the fork like the stipules. Male fl. one to one 

 and a quarter of an inch in diameter. Sepals two, orbicular. 

 Petals two, obovate. Anthers small in a globose head on 

 a short slender column, obovate, tip rounded. Fem. el. 

 smaller than the males. Sepals two, semicircular. Petal 



