LARDIZABALACEAE. — AKEBIA 347 



This is the common Holboellia of the thickets and margins of woods throughout 

 western Hupch occurring at liigher elevations than H. coriacea Diels. From the 

 evidence of abundant material before us and our knowledge of the wikl pkmts we 

 are unable to agree with Gagnepain {Bull. Mits. Nat. Hist. Paris, XIV. 67) in 

 referring this plant to H. latifolia Wallich or as a variety to that species. We have 

 seen no specimen from central or western China referable to Holboellia angitstifolia 

 Wallich and apparently it does not occur there. The only specimens of H. lati- 

 folia Wallich we have seen from China are Henry's Nos. 10527, 10527", both col- 

 lected near Mengtze in Yunnan. We suspect that the Holboellia latifolia of Fran- 

 chet {Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris, s6t. 2, VIII. 194 (PI. David. II. 11)); of Diels (Bot. 

 Jahrb. XXIX. 343); of Pampanini {Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Hal. n. ser. XVII. 273), and 

 of Rcaubourg {Bull. Soc. Bot. France, LIII. 452) belong to H. Fargesii R6aubourg. 



Holboellia Fargesii is an extremely variable plant, and Reaubourg's description 

 refers to one form of the species and to a shoot bearing male flowers only. Hem- 

 sley's figure (1. c.) represents another form, and every gradation between these two 

 extremes can be found. In the specimens before us the leaflets vary from 3 to 9 

 in number, from 3.5 cm. to 12 cm. in length excluding the petiolule, and from 1 cm. 

 to 4 cm. in width; the petioles from 2 cm. to 12 cm.; the peduncles with pedicels 

 on male flowers from 2 cm. to 6 cm.; on the female flowers from 4 cm. to 15 cm. 

 All these variations are to be found on the same individual and very often on the 

 same shoot. The flower and its parts, however, are constant as described by 

 Hemsley, except that the female flowers are almost invariably the larger. The fruit 

 which has not been described is purple, oblong, 7-9 cm. long, rounded, tipped with 

 a short point; the seeds somewhat verruculose, jet black, 4-5 mm. high, 5-8 mm. 

 long. This species is undoubtedly closely related to H. angustifolia Wallich, which 

 is readily distinguished by its relatively thin leaves with prominent reticulate 

 venation, much shorter peduncles and pedicels, different shaped sepals and by a 

 somewhat different floral structure. 



AKEBIA Decne. 



Akebia quinata Decaisne in Arch. Mus. Paris, I. 195, t. 13 a (1839); 

 in An7i. Sci. Nat. ser. 2, XII. 107 (1839). — Siebold, Fl. Jap. I. 145, 

 t. 77 (1840?). — Lindley in Bot. Reg. XXXIII. t. 28 (1847). — De- 

 caisne in Rev. Hort. 1853, 141, t. — Hooker in Bot. Mag. LXXXI. t. 

 4864 (1855). — Miquel in Ann. Mus. Lugd.-Bat. III. 9 (Prol. Fl. Jap. 

 197) (1867). — Franchet & Savatier, Enum. Fl. Jap. I. 21 (1875). — 

 Hance in Jour. Bot. XVI. 8 (1878). — Moore in Jour. Bot. XVI. 137 

 (1878). — Franchet in Nouv. Arch. Mus. Paris, ser. 2, V. 177 {PI. 

 David. I. 25) (1882). — Lavallee, Icon. Arb. Segrez. 97, t. 27, 28 

 (1882). — Hemsley in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXIII. 30 (1886). — Sargent 

 in Gard. & Forest, IV. 136, fig. 25 (1891). — Diels in Bot. Jahrb. 

 XXIX. 344 (1900). — Gagnepain in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Paris, 

 XIV. 69 (1908). — Nakai in Jour. Coll. Sci. Tokyo, XXVI. Art. I. 

 40 {Fl. Kor.) (1909). — Pampanini in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. n. ser. 

 XVII. 273 (1910). 



