BOTANICON SINICUM. 113 
Enum. Chin. bor. as Rosa pimpinellifolia L., varietas floribus 
majusculis sulphureis. The specimens of the same plant in the 
Herbarium of the Botanical Gardens at St. Petersburg (some of them 
sent by myself) have been determined by Crépin as R. pimpinelli- 
folia, var. densiflora, and in his Monography of Roses (Bull. Soc. Bot. 
Belg. 1874, 75) he mentions 2. pimpinellifolia as found at Peking, 
without noticing however its yellow flowers (on dried specimens 
the flowers are white). Crépin, as well as all previous authors 
who speak of R. pimpinellifolia, attribute to this Rose, which has 
a large area of geographical distribution, rose-coloured or white 
flowers. Last year I forwarded some specimens of our yellow 
Peking Rose—taken from the same shrub in my garden as those 
sent to St. Petersburg—to an eminent French botanist, who 
informed me that it differs widely from 2. pimpinellifolia of the 
environs of Paris, but seems to be closely allied to Rosa xanthina 
Lindl., and is perhaps the same. 
Five species of Orobanche have been noticed by different 
authors as occurring at Peking, viz.: two with white flowers : 
O. macrolepis Turez., and O. pycnostachya Hee.—three with blue 
flowers: O. ammophila C. A. Mey., 0. albolanata Steud. (O. 
canescens Bge.); 0. ombrocharis Hce.—Mr. Maximowicz, who 
some years ago was kind enough to determine for me the species 
of Orobanche I had gathered in the Peking mountains, and who 
on that occasion examined all the species of this genus from 
Peking found in the herbaria of St. Petersburg—suggested to 
me by letter that the characteristics on which these species are 
founded (lower lip of the corolla entire or bilobate; anthers 
_barbate or glabrous) are fallacious and inconstant, and that from 
dried specimens alone it is impossible to decide whether the lower 
lip is bilobed or not. As these plants are succulent it is difficult 
to press them properly, and the flowers shrivel. Maximowicz, 
who seems disposed to think that the five described species of 
Orobanche are to be reduced to two species, requested me to exa- 
mine the flowers of the living plants. I have not yet had an 
opportunity of doing so, as these plants grow in the mountains; 
and I was not able last year to visit the regions where they are 
found at the proper season. But from my former experience — 
on the subject I have no doubt that Maximowicz 1s right in 
a 
