Tan. 7509, 
CORIARIA sapontva. 
Native of Japan. 
Nat. Ord. Cortariza. 
Genus Coriartia, Linn.; (Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. i. p. 429.) 
CorIARia japonica; ramis robustis acute tetragonis lenticellatis, foliis breviter 
petiolatis ovatis ovato-lanceolatisve acuminatis, racemis ramulis anno- 
tinis enatis monoicis szpissime 3-nis (unico masculo) 2-3-pollicaribus, 
pedunculis brevibus multibracteatis, bracteis ovatis, fl. masc. parvis, 
sepalis ovatis acutis petalis oblongis subtriplo longioribus, filamentis 
_ elongatis capillaribus, antheris lavibus, pistillodios 0, fl. fem. subglobosis, 
sepalis ovato-oblongis, petalis late ovatis valde imbricatis cerasinis 
corallinisve apicibus rotundatis ovarium superantibus, nuculis 4-+ poll. 
longis reticulatim 5-costatis. 
C. japonica, A. Gray in Mem. Am. Acad. Nat. Se. vol. vi. (1858-9) p. 383- 
Miquel Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. vol. iii. p. 91. (Prolus. Fi. Jap- 
p. 255). Franch. & Sav. Enum. Pl. Jap. vol.; p. 93. Mazim. in Mem. 
Acad, Se, Petersh. Ser. 3, vol. xxix, (1881) No. III. p. 9; fee ie 
Useful Plants of Japan (1895) p. 125. Ic. n. 487. 
Croton Siraki, Sieb. & Zuce. Pl. Jap. Fam. Nat. Sect. i. p. 36, n. 133, women. 
(ee Mawim. l.c.). 
Arbor foliis Rhamni, &c., Thunb. Fl. Jap. 359; pl. Obse. n. 50. 
Doko-utsugi, Jap. 
The most interesting feature of this Coriaria is the 
colour of the flowering and fruiting petals, which varies 
from cherry- to coral-red, that of all other known species 
being black or violet-black. Maximowicz indeed, who 
must have seen the plant in Japan, describes those of 
C. japonica as black, yielding a violet juice, and as there 
is no allusion to colour in Gray’s too brief diagnosis of 
C. japonica, or in any other of the works cited above, it 
may be doubted (assuming Maximowicz to be correct) 
whether a black or coloured fruited one should be regarded 
as japonica of Gray. Fortunately a good figure and descrip- 
tion in the little work on the “ Useful Plants of Japan” 
(including the poisonous!) referred to above, proves that 
the one here figured is known in Japan as C. japonica, 
for in it the fruit is represented as bright red, and 
described as “round, red, very pretty, but poisonous,’ 
Decemser Isr, 1896. 
