— 262 — 



above the ancieiit varieties bohea and viridis, provided with 



a new diagnosis!! So, at ail events, this revision lias added two new forms, 

 intégra and Nil^herrensis, to the number of recognized tea varieties '). 

 Moreover KoCHS has fouiid a valuable characteristic in his „Verhaltniszahl 

 der Blattzâhne'', ie. the number of denticules on the leaf margin in percents 

 of the leaf length, representing the deiisity of tiiis serration. This figure, 

 as KoCHS States, is under 30 with Assatn tea, whereas it exceeds that 

 number with the smail-leaved, finely serrated Chinese forms, excepted 

 var. viridis, which shows a lower density. 



We will now turn to the descriptions of Watt, which are entitled 

 to our most careful attention, as well for the profound study of the 

 literature and herbarium-material available, that is displayed by his papers, 

 as because of his personal expérience of many years concerning tea culture 

 in British India, and especiilly on account of his journeys to the original 

 tea tracts in Assam made in the years 1882, 1895, 1897 and later. 



Thèse descriptions, which might hâve been almost universally adopted, 

 had they appeared in a periodical more accessible to systematists, are to 

 be found briefly summarized in his ,,Dictionary of economical products" 

 (1893) and in his «Commercial products" (1908); more fully in an address 

 (1906) to the Royal Horticultural Society^), from which the subséquent 

 diagnoses are literally quoted. 



„Camellia Thea Link 3), 

 „Var. y- viridis"*). 



„Race !, Assam Indigenous^).— A large bush or small tree with the 

 ,,leaves from 4 to 7 inches long and 2 to 3 inches broad [i. e., 100-175 niM. 



'j I hâve myself recently found a large-leaved tea plant with entire margin. Should 

 this be classed with KoCHS's Chinese variety ? 1 prêter considering both cases as 

 nionstrosities, rather than as distinct varieties. 



-') G. Watt 1907- 



^) We will see from the sequel that this iiame is to be rejected. The correct name 

 is C. theifera. 



••) The following forms in earlier literature are regarded by Watt as belonging to this 

 variety: Thea viridis LiNN. Sp. pi. 1762, p.735; HiLL Exot. Bot., 1759, t. 22; Green Tea, 

 LETTSOM, Nat. Hist. of Tea Tree, 1799, pi. 1; Thea viridis, Hayne, Gewachse, 1821, 

 VII, pi. 29; BOOTH, Trans. Hort. Soc. London, 1830, Vil, p. 558; Bot. Mag., 1832, VI, 

 t. 3148; Thea Chinensis, LiNN.. by Seem.. Trans. Linn. Soc, XXIi, 1859, 337-52. t. 61; 

 T. assamica, Masters, Jour. Agri. Hort. Soc. Ind., 111 (1844), 63; Assam Tea, Wall., 

 Jour. Asiat. Soc. Beng., IV, 48, t. 2. 



■') I may observe at the outset that the characteristics summed up by Watt should 

 not be taken too rigidly. Personally the author wrote me (Apr. 9th 1915): „The 

 expression Assam indigenous dénotes more a planter's than a botanist's conception." 

 And the number of veins, a character that he repeatedly (1903, 1908) commends 

 as a very important device for distinguishing the principal races, is in the same 

 letter interpreted thus: ,1 hâve no where advanced that as an invariable rule but 

 only a practical suggestion for the assistance of planters vvho are rarely botanists 

 and wish a simple guide." This explains why, as 1 will state in the statistical part 

 of my paper, 1 hâve but seldom been able to find more than 15 pairs of latéral nerves 

 in pure-type India plants, while 11-13 were found in the large majority of cases. China 

 tea excepted, which confirms Watt's observations by its low number (6-8) of veitis. 



