1924| REHDER, LIGNEOUS PLANTS OF NORTHERN CHINA, II 187 



This is probably the pai-li alluded to by Bretschneider (Hist. Eur. 

 Bot. Discov. China, 830). It is uncertain whether this is a spontaneous 

 species or a cultivated race or hybrid, a question which can be solved 

 only by careful study and investigation on the spot. The trees growing 

 in the Arnold Arboretum which were raised from seed sent by Dr. Bret- 

 schneider in 1882 are quite distinct from any other Pear known from 

 eastern Asia. Hers' no. 2237 which belongs here according to the de- 

 scription of the fruit as given by Mr. Hers has rather finely serrulate leaves 

 with short scarcely acuminate teeth. 



Pyrus serotina Rehder in Proc. Am. Acad. Sci. l. 231 (1915). — Bailey, 



Gent. Herb. i. 29 (1920). 



? Pyrus communis var. a. Pyraster Debeaux in Act. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, 

 xxxi. 155 (Fl. Tch6-foil, 60) (1876).— Non De Candolle. 



Chili: Ming Tombs valley, F. N. Meyer, no. 185, October, 1905 (Herb. 

 U. S. Agric. Dept.). 



? Shantung: near Chifu (ex Debeaux, 1. a). 



Honan: Chi kung shan, L. H. Bailey, June 30, 1917; Sung hsien, Shih 

 tze miao, alt. 1200 m., J. Hers, no. 1260, September 25, 1919; Lushih, 

 Hiung eul shan, alt. 1400 m., J. Hers, no. 898, October 10, 1919. 



Distribution: also Hupeh, Szechuan. 



Pyrus serotina var. culta Rehder in Proc. Am. Acad. Sci. l. 233 (1915). 



Hers in Jour. N. China Branch R. As. Soc. liii. 114 (1922); Liste Ess. 



Lign. Honan, 24 (1922). 



? Pyrus communis var. sativa Debeaux in Act. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, xxxi. 



156 (Fl. Tch6-foil, 61) (1876).— Non De Candolle. 

 ? Pyrus communis Thunborg, Fl. Jap. 207 (1784). — Faber, Denkschr. Ent- 



wickel. Kiautschou, 32 (1898). — Loesener in Bot. Centralbl. Beih. xxxvu. 



abt. ii. 132 (1919). — Non Linnaeus. 

 Pyrus sinensis Faber, Denkschr. Entwickol. Kiautschou, 32 (1898). — Ito 



in Tokyo Bot. Mag. xiv. 117 (1900). — Gilg in Bot. Jahrb. xxxiv. beibl. 



lxxv. 39 (1904). — Loesener in Bot. Centralbl. Beih. xxxvu. abt. II. 132 



(1919). 



Shantung: cultivated (ex Debeaux, 1. c., Faber, 1. c., Ito, 1. c, Gilg, 1. c, 

 and Loesener, 1. c). 



Honan: cultivated (ex Hers, 1. a). 



Kansu: Ho dien, cultivated, P. N. Meyer, no. 1865, July 7, 1914. 



Distribution: cultivated throughout China and Japan. 



To this variety apparently belong most of the Pears cultivated in 

 China except in the north where P. ussuriensis and P. Bret Schneider i 

 take its place. The European P. communis is not cultivated by the 

 Chinese but is occasionally planted in the gardens of foreign residents 

 and missionaries. 



The closely related P. serrulata Rehd., differing chiefly in the serrulate 

 leaves with short acute or acuminate, but not setosely acuminate teeth, 

 in the 3-4, rarely 5, styles and in the smaller fruit, does not seem to occur 

 in northern China if a sterile specimen from Hwei hsien, Honan (Hers* 

 no. 720), does not belong here. 



