xxiv. t. 18, and in Bentley and Trimen’s “ Medicinal 
Plants,” t. 78. 
M. sempervirens was originally described from a dried 
‘specimen sent to Kew, from Ichang, by Dr. A. Henry, in 
1886. The material consisted of foliage, ripe pods and 
quite young flower-buds. The same year Dr. Henry sent 
seed direct to the Gardens, and one of the plants raised — 
was set in a bed in the Temperate House, where it has _ 
grown to the dimensions given in the description. It 
flowered for the first time in August, 1903. ‘'wo large 
clusters of flowers were produced on one of the old stems, 
about forty feet from the ground, and one smaller one on 
a thin branch about two years old. This year none has 
appeared, but the foliage is ornamental and effective. The — 
plant is growing at the south end of the central building 
_ of the Temperate House. ; 
. In 1895, Mr. E. Ludlow, of “The Firs,’ Wimbledon, 
Sent seeds of M. sempervirens to Kew. He was Com- 
missioner of Imperial Customs at Ichang in 1892-3, and 
had actually seen the large specimen from which Dr. 
Henry obtained his specimens, and in his notes accom- 
panying the specimen he states that it is traditionally an 
_ introduced plant there. This may be so, but we have the 
authority of Dr. Henry that this species is wild in many 
parts of the surrounding mountains. 
Supplementary to my original description of M. semper- 
virens, I mentioned that Kew possessed flowers of a 
Mucuna from Ningpo, which I Supposed might be the 
Same species, and it now proves to be the same. It was 
collected by Mr. C. W. Everard, of the British: Consular 
Service, and presented to Kew, with many other plants, by 
the Rev. T. A. Preston. The Rev. E. Faber also collected 
Wt in the Province of, Kweichau, about the year 1887. — 
Descr.— A very tall, climbing or rambling, evergreen 
shrub, the young parts more or less clothed with stinging 
hairs. Stem sometimes a foot in diameter at the base ; 
ultimate branchlets slender and twining. Leaves trifolio- 
late, including the slender petiole nine to twelve inches 
long. Leaflets petiolulate, coriaceous, shining above, 
ovate-oblong, lateral oblique, all tapering to a fine point, 
three to five inches long. Flowers dark purple outside, 
lighter within, and Shading off to white at the base of 
