KETELEERIA KOELREUTERIA 685 



forming a pale, faintly defined band each side the midrib, which is 

 quite prominent on both surfaces. The leaves are arranged like those 

 of many silver firs, being attached spirally, but twisted at the base so as 

 to bring them into two opposite spreading sets ; they persist five or more 

 years. Cones (only known from imported specimens) erect, cylindrical, 

 4 to 6 ins. long, stalked, and described as purple. 



Native of China; introduced by Fortune in 1844, and extremely rare 

 in cultivation. The finest tree in Europe is in Messrs Rovelli's nursery 

 at Pallanza, in Italy. I saw this tree in May 1912, when Mr Rovelli 

 told me it was 85 ft. high : its trunk was 2 ft. 9 ins. in diameter ; many 

 old cones were scattered beneath. It is scarcely hardy enough to thrive 

 in the average climate of the British Isles, but would no doubt succeed 

 well in Cornwall, S.W. Ireland, and such-like places. A small plant in 

 the tree nursery at Kew was practically stationary in size for several years, 

 although it withstood hard frosts with impunity. Fortune described the 

 tree as having the appearance of a cedar of Lebanon ; the Pallanza tree, 

 comparatively young, has very much the aspect of a silver fir. Keteleeria 

 is most nearly allied to Abies, but is very distinct in the male catkins 

 being borne in umbels. 



K. DAVIDIANA, Franchet^ is another species native of W. China. It was 

 introduced to Kew by Henry in 1889, and Wilson found it and introduced it 

 again in 1908. The young plants have leaves like those of K. Fortunei in size, 

 colour, and shape. But according to Wilson's specimens of adult plants, the 

 leaves of cone-bearing or adult branches differ from those of K. Fortunei in 

 becoming blunt and conspicuously notched at the apex, and in having the 

 midrib sunken above. The cone-scales are also more reflexed at the margin. 

 Wilson found cones 8 ins. long. 



KOELREUTERIA PANICULATA, Laxmann. SAPINDACE/E. 



A deciduous tree, up to 30 to 60 ft. high, with soft, pithy wood and 

 rather gaunt habit in a young state, becoming more compact with age ; 

 young shoots minutely downy. Leaves alternate, pinnate, sometimes 

 partially bipinnate; the nine to fifteen leaflets ovate, short-stalked or 

 stalkless, coarsely and irregularly toothed, downy beneath. The entire 

 leaf is from 6 to 18 ins., or even more, in length, and the separate leaflets 

 from i to 4 ins. long, the larger ones often pinnately lobed at the base. 

 Flowers in a large, terminal, pyramidal panicle, sometimes over 12 ins. 

 long, made up of a series of elongated, slender racemes, carrying numerous 

 short-stalked, yellow flowers, each about J in. wide ; petals four ; stamens 

 eight, downy. Fruit a conical, inflated, three-valved capsule, i \ to 2 ins. 

 long; seeds about the size of peas, dark brown. 



Native of China; introduced to England in 1763, and said to have 

 first been cultivated at Croome, in Worcestershire. It is quite hardy and 

 very handsome, flowering in July and August. When seen at its best 

 the tree is a mass of deep yellow flowers, and these are succeeded by the 

 striking bladder-like fruits. It loves the sun, and I have never seen it 

 quite so striking in this country as it is in Central France. Its handsome 



