136 CHINESE ECONOMIC TREES 



Although Render and Wilson have given a varietal name to the trees 

 found in China, I can discover absolutely no botanical difference which 

 separate these from the Japanese type and the varietal name is useless 

 except as it may designate a geographical region. The Japanese form or 

 race is said to grow more often with plural trunks. 



MAGNOLIACEAE 



Leaves alternate, with stipules. Sepals and petals in 3's or multiples 

 of 3. Stamens and carpels numerous, spirally arranged. Fruit cone- 

 like or fleshy, formed of the cohering carpels; ovules usually 2 in 

 each carpel. 



About 10 genera and 75 species widely distributed over the entire 

 world. Three genera are commonly represented in China, of these 

 Michelia is chiefly confined to the south. Michelia longifolia Blume is the 

 common Boh Lan of the gardens. Michelia is distinguished from Magnolia 

 by the characters given in the key. It has no arborescent representative. 

 Most authors include Tetracentron under Magnoliaceae. In Tetracentron 

 the flowers are small and spicate, the flower parts in 4's and the wood, 

 unlike nearly all the other Dicotyledonous woods, is without true vessels, 

 in this respect identical with the wood of Trochodendron, the only other 

 Chinese species known to have this characteristic; for these reasons it 

 seems best to place Tetracentron under Trochodendraccae. 



KEY TO GENERA 



A. Anthers introrse (facing inwards) ; mature carpels fleshy, 

 dehiscent on the back; seeds fleshy, not winged; leaves entire 

 or auriculate. 



I. Flowers terminal; ovary sessile; ovules 1 or 2 in each carpel. 

 Magnolia. 



II. Flowers axillary; ovary long stipitate; ovules 2 or more in 

 each carpel {Michelia. ) 



B. Anthers extrorse (facing outward); mature carpels dry, indehis- 

 cent; seed winged ; leaves lobed or truncate Liriodendron. 



