Tas. 8174, 
VIBURNUM UTILE. 
China. 
-CAPRIFOLIACEAE. Tribe SAMBUCEAE. 
Visurnum, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 3. 
Viburnum (§Tinus) utile, Hemsl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xxiii. p. 856; 
species inter affines foliis crassis supra glabris subtus dense tomentosis 
facile distinguitur. 
Frutec 1-1°5 m. altus, ramulis floriferis elongatis rectis primum stellato- 
pubescentibus cito glabrescentibus. Folia persistentia, breviter petiolata, 
crassa, coriacea, lanceolato-oblonga vel interdum ovato-oblonga, saepius 
2-5-8 em. longa, rarius nsque ad 15 cm, longa, obtusa, integerrima, supra 
glabra, nitida, subtus pilis stellatis multiradiatis incano-tomentosa, venis 
primariis paucis supra eens subtus elevatis. ores omnes conformes, 
circiter 1 cm, diametro, dense cymosi; cymae compositae, umbellatae, 
terminales, densae, hemisphaericae, 5-8 cm. diametro, breviter pedunculatae - 
pedicelli ovario breviores, pubescentes. Calyx glaber, nitens, dentibus 
ovatis obtusis circiter 1 mm. longis. Corolla rotato-campanulata, vix 
1 cm. diametro, lobis rotundatis. Stamina breviter exserta. Ovarium 
l-loculare, 1-ovulatum, ovulo ab loculi apice pendulo; stylus brevis, 
crassus, carnosus, pilis stellatis paucis ornatus, stigmate capitato. Fructus 
fere siccus, oblongus, compressus, circiter 8 mm. longus, laevis, glaber. 
Specimens of this species were first recorded by Hance 
(Journ. Bot. 1882, p. 6) as V. cotinifolium, Don, var. y, 
Hook. f. & Thoms. ; but Hooker and Thomson, so far as our 
investigations go, never published such a combination ; nor 
do we find herbarium specimens thus designated. V. cotini- 
folium, Don, is indeed a very different species, closely 
resembling the native V. Lantana, Linn. It is figured in 
_ the Botanical Register, 1834, t. 1650. 
The present drawing of V. utile was made from materials 
supplied by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, who raised it 
from seed sent home by their collector, Mr. E. H. Wilson ; 
but it was first discovered near Ichang by Mr. T. Watters, 
of the British Consular Service, in 1880. Kew now 
possesses dried specimens from numerous localities in Hupeh 
and Szechuen. V. utile var. suaveolens, Franch. mss., from 
Yunnan, collected by Delavay and Henry, is regarded by 
Mr. A. Rehder as a distinct species; but the differences are 
not evident, and he has not yet published a description. 
January, 1908, 
