Gleditschia 



^5 



towards the base of the shoot, very large, ovate-oblong, 1 2 to 3 in. long, and 1 to 1^ 

 in. broad ; those towards the apex of the shoot, smaller, ovate-lanceolate, 1^ in. long 

 and f in. broad ; glabrous, except on the midrib above, which is pubescent throughout, 

 and on the midrib beneath, which bears a few scattered hairs ; margin crenulate ; 

 lower surface prominently reticulate ; rachis pubescent on the edges of the groove ; 

 petiolules pubescent. 



Flowers in loose pubescent simple racemes ; pedicels slender, pubescent, \ to \ 

 in. long; ovary pubescent. Pod indehiscent, 6 to 12 in. long, 1 to \\ in. broad, 

 straight or curved, not twisted, slightly convex on both surfaces, not so swollen as in 

 G. sinensis, and not so flattened as in G. triacanthos, dark purplish brown, glabrous, 

 shining, often glaucous, dotted with minute pits. Seeds numerous, placed towards 

 the centre of the pod, oval, about in. long, convex on both surfaces, shining brown, 

 marked with transverse raised lines, becoming deeply pitted when dried in the 

 immature state. 



The spines on the branchlets are terete, conical, reddish brown, simple or with 

 one or two small lateral thorns. 



This species is closely allied to G. sinensis, but appears to differ in the shape of 

 the leaflets, which are larger, broader, and more prominently reticulate ; and has 

 pods, which can be readily distinguished. In the Kew herbarium, there is a branch 

 with a pod, gathered by Gay in 1814 from a tree in M. Morel's garden near Paris. 

 This tree is stated by Gay to have been identical with a tree of G. macracantha in 

 the Jardin des Plantes, doubtless the one on which Desfontaines founded this 

 species. Gay's specimen may then be accepted with certainty as a type of 

 G. macracantha. 



G. macracantha occurs in the wild state in the mountains of central China, 2 

 where it was found by Dr. Faber and myself in the provinces of Hupeh and 

 Szechwan. Young unripe and aborted pods are gathered by the Chinese, and used 

 as a drug, known as ya-tsao? 



G. macracant/ta was probably introduced into France by seed sent from China 

 by the missionaries towards the end of the 18th century. A large tree of this 

 species is said by Loudon to have been growing at Syon in 1838 ; but little reliance 

 can be placed on his identification. It is apparently now unknown in cultivation in 

 England ; but it thrives well in the south of France and in Italy, whence we have 

 obtained specimens from Montpellier and La Mortola. (A. H.) 



1 On one of the trees at Montpellier, the large leaflets are occasionally obovate, a shape not seen in any other species. 



2 A specimen gathered by Ford's collector in 1888 on Lantao Island, near Hong-Kong, is probably this species. 



3 Cf. Hanbury, Science Papers, 248, 1876. These pods, of which there are specimens from China in the London 

 Pharmaceutical Museum, appear to be aborted and contain no seeds. Similar pods have been produced on a solitary tree at 

 La Mortola, which bears only pistillate flowers, the anthers being absent or sterile. 



