Tas. 8726. 
ORESITROPHE RvPIFRAGA. 
North China. 
SAXIFRAGACEAE. ‘Tribe SAXIFRAGEAE, 
OrnEsITROPHE, Bunge; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen Plant. vol. i. p. 689. 
Oresitrophe rupifraga, Bunge, Enum. Pl. Chin. Bor. p. 31; Walp. Rep. 
vol. v. p. 823; Hance in Journ. Bot. 1875, p. 182; Hemsl. in Journ, Linn, 
Soc. Bot. vol. xxiii. p. 271; Gard. Chron. 1917, vol. Ixi. p. 155, fig. 54; 
species unica. 
Herba acaulis, decidua; rhizoma crassum, squamosum, e rupibus dissilientibus 
enatum. Folia radicalia 2 vel 3, petiolata, late cordata, abrupte et 
breviter acuminata, acute duplicato-serrata, supra glabra, subtus villosa, 
4-8 em. longa, 8°5-7 cm. lata; petioli 3-12 cm. longi. Scapi erecti, 
12-17 cm. longi, glanduloso-villosuli, apice compacte vel interdum laxe 
cymosim paniculati, multiflori; bracteae obsoletae ; pedicelli 3-5 mm. 
longi. Calyx campanulatus, 4-5 mm. longus, 5-T-lobus; lobi elliptico- 
oblongi, obtusi, albi vel pallide rosei. Petala 0. Stamina 10-14, loborum 
calycinorum opposita; filamenta gracilia, lobis calycinis aequilonga ; 
antherae cordato-ovatae. Styli 2, truncati, glabri, stigmatibus simplicibus, 
Capsula 2-rostris, 1-locularis, 2-valvis, valvis basi introflexis connatis 
placentiferis. Semina numerosa.—R. A. RouFs. 
The genus Oresitrophe includes only one_ species, 
O. rupifraga, which was first described by Dr. Bunge in 
1834 from material collected by himself in clefts of rocks 
on the mountains near Lun-zuan-ssi and Ssi-jui-ssi in 
Northern China. It was regarded by him as nearly 
allied to Astilbe, Ham., though in habit very different 
from that genus. In the family Savifragaceae it 18 
certainly somewhat anomalous, though in floral structure 
it agrees best with Chrysosplenium, Linn.; in habit, 
however, it is as remote from this genus as it is from 
Astilbe. Subsequent to its discovery by Bunge, it was 
again collected on Mount Poa-hua-shan, near Pekin, by 
Dr. Bretschneider; still later it was collected on the 
western hills near Pekin by Mr. W. Hancock, who has 
noted it as confined to rocky gullies, and as being rare. 
More recently it has been met with again by Mr. F. N. 
Meyer, in crevices of rocks in the Nankow Pass, Chibli, 
SEPTEMBER, 1917, 
