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Emmenopterys Henryi, Oliver.—This interesting tree was first 
discovered by Prof. A. Henry in China and was originally described 
by Oliver in Hooker’s [cones Plantarum, t. 1823. It was intro- 
duced to cultivation by E. H. Wilson in 1907 when collecting for 
the Arnold Arboretum. It is deciduous and is described by 
Wilson as attaining a height of 50 to 80 feet, with a trunk up to 
9 or 10 feet in girth. The leaves are opposite, oval or ovate, 
tapered towards both ends, the larger ones 8 in. long by 4 in. 
inflorescence is a terminal flattish corymbose panicle, as much as 
in. wide and 6 to 8 in. high. Corolla white, 1 in. wide, the 
base funnel-shaped, dividing at the top into five rounded spreading 
lobes. The calyx ordinarily is small, only } in. long with five 
roundish lobes; but-on a certain proportion of the flowers one 
lobe of the calyx becomes remarkably enlarged and develops into 
a large white-stalked oval “ bract,” the largest as much as 2 in. 
long by 14 in. wide. According to Wilson these bracts persist 
and change to pink as the fruits ripen. 
A plant was obtained for Kew from the Coombe Wood Nursery 
in 1913 which has been grown out-of-doors without protection 
ever since and has not yet been injured by cold. Mr. Wilson, 
who found it near Ichang at from 2000 to 4000 feet altitude, 
was rather surprised when last at Kew by its hardiness. He 
describes it as “‘ one of the most strikingly beautiful trees of the 
Chinese forests,’’ and it is evidently a tree well worth a trial in 
the milder parts of our islands. The extraordinary development 
of one of the calyx lobes very much resembles the large showy 
bracts seen in Schizophragma, and the large trusses of these 
combined with the Luculia-like flowers must be remarkably 
handsome. The largest plant at Kew is a bush about 7 feet high 
and it may be some time before we see its blossoms. The genus, 
which belongs to the Natural family Rubiaceae, is monotypic and 
is most closely allied to Luculia. The family to which it belongs 
is but sparsely represented among hardy trees and shrubs. 
Wide Bs 
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