“ 
Ge 
Tas. 8805. 
DESMODIUM ctnerascens. 
Western China. 
LEGUMINOSAE. Tribe HepysaRFAE. 
Desmopium, Desv.; Benth. et Hook. J. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 519. 
Desmodium cinerascens, Franch. Pl. Delavay. p. 174 (1890); affinis 
D. tiliaefolio, G. Don, petiolis brevioribus foliolis abrupte mucronatis 
stipulis persistentibus racemis pilosis simplicibus vel subsimplicibus differt. 
Frutex laxe ramosus; rami annotini leviter angulares, glabrescentes, brunnei, 
hornotini purpureo-suffusi, pubescentes. Folia trifoliolata, petiolata, 
usque ad 8 cm. longa, utrinque breviter pubescentia; foliola lateralia 
breviter petiolulata, suborbicularia vel ovato-orbicularia, abrupte 
mucronata, basi truncata vel rotundata, 2°5-8 cm. longa, 2-8 cm. lata ; 
foliolum terminale longe petiolulatum, obovato-orbiculare, basi late 
cuneatum, 3-4 cm. longum, 2°5-3-5 cm. latum; nervi laterales utrinsecus 
circiter 5; stipellae subulatae, 2 mm. longae; rhachis usque ad 6 cm. 
longa, pubescens, supra canaliculata; stipulae persistentes, oblique 
lanceolatae, acutae, 4-5°5 mm. longae, 1°5-2°5 mm. latae, brunneae, 
extra breviter pubescentes. Inflorescentia longe racemosa, multiflora, 
usque ad 10 cm. longa ; rhachis pilosa ; bracteae mox deciduae, lanceolatae, 
5-6 mm. longae, extra pubescentes, intus striatae; pedicelli patuli vel 
leviter recurvati, graciles, ad 5 mm. longi, piloso-pubescentes. Calyx 
subaequaliter 5-lobus, 2°5 mm. longus, extra pubescens, lobis late ovatis 
subacutis. Corolla 1 em. longa, roseo-carminea, vexillo intra basin viride- 
suffuso; alae plus minusve oblongae, breviter unguiculatae. Ovariwm 
puberulum, 3-5 ovulatum; stylus curvatus, glaber, stigmate minuto. 
Fructus curvatus, ad 4 cm. longus, saepe 5-spermus, complanatus, crenato- 
constrictus, 5 mm. latus, reticulatus, parce et breviter pubescens, 
Semina nigrescentia, nitida, 3 mm. longa.—J. Hurcutnson. 
The Desmodium now figured is a native of South- 
western China first gathered over thirty years ago by 
the Abbé Delavay, by whom it is reported to occur on 
chalky hills near Lankong in Yunnan. It was first 
described from material sent by Delavay to Paris. Later 
it was met with by Mr. A. E. Pratt near Ta-chienlu in 
Szechuan, and a few years ago it was found again by 
Mr. G. Forrest on the eastern flanks of the Li-Kiang 
Range in Yunnan at elevations of 9-10,000 feet above 
the sea. The nearest ally of D. cinerascens is the North 
Indian species D. tiliaefolium, G. Don, a species of which 
we have as yet seen no Chinese example. The record of | 
D. tiliaefolium as a native of China has been made in the 
Aprit-JunE, 1919, 
* 
