236 JOURNAL OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM [vol. iv 



wild type of one of the most familiar garden plants should have its home 

 at the very gate as it were of Yokohama and remain unrecognized by 

 any botanist. However, such are the facts. At other times during 1917 

 and again the following year I prosecuted my investigations so as to leave 

 no possible doubt on the subject. Exigencies of work have prevented 

 the earlier publication of these facts. 



The introduction of this plant into Europe seems to have been from 

 China through Sir Joseph Banks early in 1789. In the Kew Bulletin for 

 1891 there appears a historical account of Kew and on page 305 it is stated 

 that Banks introduced "the first Hydrangea hortensis to Kew about the 

 beginning of 1789 for the inspection of the curious. It had begun to flower 

 in the Custom House and its green petals were a puzzle to the botanists 

 of the day. The next day he exhibited it at his house in Soho Square from 

 whence it was removed and lived in Kew, the parent of its numerous 

 progeny now spread all over Europe. " In the Botanical Magazine XIII. 

 under t. 438 it is stated that it "was introduced from China to the royal 

 garden at Kew by Sir Joseph Banks in 1790; it was imported by Mr. Slater 

 about the same time, with whom it is said to have first flowered in this 

 country." Jussieu, in basing the genus Hortensia on the plant, calls it the 

 Rose of Japan. Lamarck gives the same vernacular and on the authority 

 of Commerson says it is cultivated in the Isle of France (Mauritius) and 

 that it came originally from Japan and China. The first illustration pub- 

 lished of the plant that I have been able to find is by Buchoz in his Fleurs 

 de la Chine pt. 1, t. 45 (1776) with Chinese characters, evidently a copy 

 of a Chinese drawing and rather crude. The first mention of this plant 

 in western literature is by Kaempfer in his Amoenitatum Exoticarum Fasc. 

 v. page 854 (1712) under the vernacular name of "Sijo, vulgo Adsai, it. 

 Ansai & Adsikii." According to Smith there is (or was) a drawing of 

 Kaempfer's under this name in the British Museum. In Japan today it is 

 known as Temari-bana. 



As a cultivated plant I am familiar with this Hydrangea in many parts 

 of China from the coast to the extreme west and in all the warmer parts 

 of Japan. Where there is iron in the soil the flowers are always blue. 

 Cultivated by florists especially are many fine forms of this Hydrangea 

 chiefly raised in France and referred to as French hybrids. From Messrs. 

 Dreer & Co. of Riverton, New Jersey, I have received a set consisting of 

 forty named garden forms but I can find no signs of hybridity in any of 

 these. Apparently the word hybrid has been loosely used though I have 

 no doubt crossings have been made with forms having only a few sterile 

 ray-flowers all of which are referable to the var. normalis Wils. In none 

 can I find any signs of the H. serrata De Candolle and its forms, the other 

 Japanese species which has been so thoroughly confused with H. macro- 

 phylla and its varieties. 



