xxiv A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



NvcTAGiNACEiE. — Pisonia aciileata L., an inhabitant of tropical 

 shores in many parts of the world, probably reaches south-eastern 

 China, as it occurs in Formosa ; with other species of this genus 

 it is common in tropical Florida. 



Trochodendrace^. — This family is not represented in the 

 flora of eastern North America but appears in China in Euptelea. 



Cercidiphyllace^ and Eucommiace^, too, have no American 

 representatives, but appear in Western China each with a monotypic 

 genus, Cercidiphyllum and Eucommia. 



RANUNCULACE.E. — In this family Pseonia occurs in China but 

 not in eastern North America, and the monotypic Xanthorrhiza is 

 Appalachian. Clematis is common to both regions, with a much 

 larger number of species in eastern Asia than in eastern North 

 America, where the genus is poorly developed. 



Lardizabalace^e is an Asiatic and Chihan family, with Decaisnea, 

 Stauntonia, Holboellia, Akebia, Sinofranchetia, and Sargentodoxa 

 in China. 



Berberidace^. — The woody plants of this family are much 

 more numerous in China than in eastern North America. Mahonia 

 and the monotypic Nandina do not occur in the latter region, where 

 there is only one species of Berberis, while in eastern continental 

 Asia, which must be considered the headquarters of the genus, 

 some forty species are now recognized. 



Menispermace^. — The woody members of this family are 

 represented in eastern North America by Menispermum and Coc- 

 culus. These occur also in western continental Asia, where Sino- 

 menium, Diploclisia, Stephania, Cyclea, Tinospora, Limacia, and 

 the monotypic Pericampylus are also interesting members of this 

 family. 



MAGNOLiACEiE. — Magnolia is represented in the two floras by 

 about the same number of species. In China, however, species 

 occur in two groups, one of which produces its flowers before the 

 appearance of the leaves, and in the other the leaves are nearly fully 

 grown before the flowers open. To the latter group all of the 

 American species belong. Some of the American Magnolias are 

 larger trees than the Chinese species, and no Asiatic Magnolia com- 

 pares in beauty with Magnolia grandiflora L. of the southern United 

 States or equals Magnolia macrophyUa Michx. in the size of leaves 

 and flowers. Liriodendron appears in each region with a single 

 species, but the American representative of this genus is a larger 

 and much more widely distributed tree. Illicium and Schisandra 

 appear in the two regions, the former with three species in China 



