Tas. 8238. 
OLIGOBOTRYA Henry. 
China. 
LILIACEAE. ‘Tribe POLYGONATEAE. 
OureoBotryA, Baker in Hook. Ic. Pl. t. 1537. 
Oligobotrya Henryi, Baker, /.c.; species unica. 
Herba. Caulis erectus, ad 10 dm. altus, 4 mm. diametro, flexuosus, pubescens, 
viridis, purpureo-maculatus. J olia obovato-oblonga vel ovata, breviter 
acuminata, 10 em. longa, 4°5 em. lata, sessilia vel breviter petiolata, basi 
rotundata, plus minusve pubescentia praesertim ad nervos, multinervia. 
Racemi terminales, simplices vel ramosi; pedicelli tenues, 2 mm. longi; 
bracteolae minutae, ovatae, pubescentes. Perianthiwm album vel dilute 
luteum ; tubuscylindricus, 8 mm. longus, 8mm. diametro, basi obtusus ; lobi 
patentes, oblongs-ovati, obtusi. Stamina ad corollae faucem affixa 
filamenta brevissima; antherae oblongae, obtusae. Ovariwm ovoideum ; 
stylus subulatus, ovario paullo longior; stigma lobis 3 tr:angularibus 
instructum. 
Var. violacea, C. 7. Wriyht, var. nov. Perianthii tubus extra violaceus, lobi 
pallidiores.— C. H. Wrieat. 
The genus Oligobotrya is intermediate between Smilacina, 
of which it has the habit and the terminal inflorescence, 
and Polygonatum, with which it agrees in having a gamo- 
phyllous perianth. The specimens on which the original 
description of O. Ilenryi was based were sent to Kew in 
1886 by Mr. A. Henry, who had obtained them at Patung 
in Hupeh, Central China. Since then the species has been’ 
met with in the adjoining provinces of Hunan and Szechuan. 
The specimens here figured were received from Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, for whom it had been obtained by Mr. E. H. 
Wilson. The original description states that the leaves are 
glabrous, but Mr. Wright finds that although the leaves of » 
the specimens first communicated bear comparatively few 
hairs, these are not entirely absent. In other specimens, 
however, the leaves bear numerous hairs as shown in the 
figure. Some of the wild specimens in the Kew collection 
are of very vigorous habit and have a much-branched 
inflorescence. 
Frsrvuary, 1909. 
