Tas. 8720. 
SINOFRANCHETIA CHINENSIS.. 
; China. 
LLARDIZABALACEAE. 
SInoFRANCHETIA, Hemsl. 
Sinofranchetia chinensis, Hemsl. in Hook. Ic. Pl. t. 2842; species unica. 
Frutex alte scandens, glaber, caule volubili laevi primo pruinoso, ramis floriferis 
brevibus arcte foliatis. Folia decidua, petiolo basin dilatatam versus 
canaliculato 15-16 cm. longo suffulta, 3-foliolata; foliolum intermedium 
obovatum, basi late cuneatum, apice breviter acuminatum, 9-12 cm. 
longum, 7-10 cm. latum, petiolulo 1-3 cm. longo insidens; lateralia 
similia nisi minora, magis minusve obliqua et basi rotundata, breviter 
petiolulata; omnia chartacea, supra viridia, infra pallida. Racemi 
axillares, penduli, ad 30 cm. longi, ad 6-10 cm. nudi, ebracteati ; pedicelli 
1-2 mm. longi. Sepala 6, obovata, maris 2 mm., foeminei 2°5 mm. longa. 
Petala 6, carnosa, subobcordata, 0°75 mm. longa. Stamina 6; maris 
filamenta linearia, carnosula, petala vix superantia. in urceolam con- 
niventia ; antherae supra os urceolae arcuatae, late oblongae, connectivo 
haud producto: foeminei effoeta, quam petala minora graciliora. Pistilla 
8, in flore maris effoeta, minuta, in flore foemineo petala paulo superantia, 
elliptico- vel obovato-oblonga, ad 2 mm. longa stigmate sessili; ovula 
-circiter 20, biseriata. Carpella matura baccata, ellipsoidea, ad 2 cm. 
longa, ad 1°5 cm. diametro, lilacina. Semina compressa, ambitu subellip- 
tica, 4-5 mm. longa; testa nigricans.—Bean in Kew Bull. 1909, p. 355; 
Schneider, Ill. Handb. Laubholzk. vol. ii. p. 912, fig. 572; Rehder et E. H. 
Wils. in Sargent, Plant. Wilson. vol. i. p. 849. Parvatia chinensis, Franch. 
in Journ. Bot. vol. viii.p. 281. Holboellia_cwneata, Oliv. in Hook, Ic. Pl. 
+. 1817 (fructus). H. chinensis, Diels in Engl. Jahrb. vol. xxix. p. 343; 
Réaubourg in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, vol. liii. p. 455, fig. 4 (folii anatomia). 
—O. Srapr. 
The genus Sinofranchetia is a member of the Lardiza- 
baluceae, a group of forms treated in the Genera 
Plantarum as a distinct tribe of the natural order 
Berberidaceae, but regarded in the Natiirlichen Pflanzen- 
familien as a distinct family. The solitary species, 
S. chinensis, is a vigorous climber with inconspicuous 
flowers, but with showy and striking lavender-purple 
fruits, which appears to be common at altitudes of 5,000- 
9,000 feet in western Hupeh and Szechuan. Its botanical 
history has been somewhat confused. In 1889 the late 
Professor Oliver based a new Holboellia, H. cuneata, on 
male and female specimens obtained by Mr. A. Henry in 
Hupeh, pointing out, however, certain differences, besides 
that of sex, in the two components of the species. The 
JuLy, 1917, 
