ever, by the appearance of the plants at Coombe Wood, 
D. retusa promises to be more amenable to treatment 
than most. It will probably have to be propagated by 
grafting, and an evergreen species like the familiar 
D. Laureola should be tried as a stock, although it may be 
possible to work it on the deciduous D. Mezereon as well. 
D. retusa approaches very closely to D. tangutica, Maxim., 
a species described from specimens collected in Western 
Kansu, and differs from the Kansu plant, if the only 
specimen of the latter at Kew can be relied upon, mainly 
in having more hairy young branches, broader and less 
revolute leaves, more densely ciliate perulae and more 
obtuse perianth segments, 
Drscriprion.—Shrub, of small size, densely branched, 
2-33 ft. high, crown subglobose, flowering in spring 
contemporaneously with the new leaves. Zwigs more or 
less pubescent but soon becoming glabrous; when a year 
old with greyish brown bark. Leaves lasting till a second 
year, oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, obtuse, often retuse, 
narrowed at the base to a short rather broad petiole, as 
they dry up often assuming owing to their margins becoming 
inturned a linear or oblong-linear appearance, 1 4-3 in, 
long, 4-2 in. wide, coriaceous, quite glabrous dark green 
above, pale beneath, the veins obscure. Flowers umbellately 
arranged, produced from the terminal scaly buds, accom- 
ae by young twigs and new leaves and surrounded 
low by a few leaves of the previous season. Buds 5 lin. 
long, scales oblong or elliptic, obtuse or acute, with densely 
ciliate edges, but elsewhere glabrous. Perianth white, more 
or less tinged with rose or violet, or outside quite violet- 
rose, glabrous; tube cylindric 5-6 lin. long; lobes ovate, 
rather obtuse, 5 lin. long, half as wide. Stamens in 2 
series, about 2 lin. apart; the lower series about the middle 
of the tube, the anthers included. Ovary glabrous, style 
very short, stigma capitate. Berry subglobose, fleshy, red, 
5 lin. long, 4 lin, in diameter. 
Fig. 1, apex of leaf; 2, bud scales; 3, perianth, laid open; 4 and 5, stamens; 
6, pistil :—al/ enlarged. 
