354 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



Sungpan, thickets, alt. 3800-4000 m., October 1910 (No. 4190; bush, 

 1.5-1.75 m. tall, fruit scarlet). — The following specimens possibly 

 belong to this species: Pan-lan-shan, west of Kuan Hsien, alt. 4000- 

 4300 m., June 24, 1908 (No. 2865; bush 0.60-1.30 m. high, flowers 

 yellow); south-west of Tachien-lu, woodlands, alt. 3000-3600 m., 

 October 1910 (No. 4170; bush 1.30-2 m. high, fruit crimson). 



There are three species which seem to be very nearly related; these are B. 

 macrosepala, B. diaphana and B. yunnanensis. The one described first is B. macro- 

 sepala Hooker f. & Thomson, which comes from the Sikkim Himalaya. It is well 

 distinguished by its puberulous branchlets and has not yet been found in China. 

 Mr. Hutchinson says in Bot. Mag. (1. c), that it has been collected in western China 

 by Wilson, but this seems to be an error. He also describes and figures there as 

 B. yunnanensis a cultivated plant, which certainly belongs to B. diaphana. The 

 type of this species may be distinguished by its chartaceous leaves distinctly re- 

 ticulate on both sides and mostly serrate, by the 1-4-flowered inflorescence, and 

 by the more numerous, 6-8, ovules and seeds. The typical B. yunnanensis, of which 

 I have seen Franchet's type specimens, has thinner, mostly entire leaves and 3-8- 

 flowered, often rather elongated inflorescences and only (3-)4 ovules and seeds. 

 The nervation of the leaves of B. yunnanensis is coarser and thinner and nearly the 

 same as in those of B. macrosepala, the leaves of which are more papillose beneath 

 and more serrate. The types of these three species may be distinguished as follows : 



Berberis macrosepala: ramuli puberuli; folia adulta membranacea, plerumque 

 spinoso-serrata, utrinque laxe reticulata, subtus distincte papillosa; flores ple- 

 rumque solitarii; ovaria ovulis circiter 6 instructa; styli nulli. 



Berberis diaphana: ramuli glabri; folia adulta chartacea, plerumque spinoso- 

 serrata, utrinque distincte et anguste reticulata, subtus pruinosa v. leviter papil- 

 losa; flores sohtarii v. bini v. ad 4 racemoso-fasciculati; ovaria ovuUs 6-8 instructa; 

 styli breves v. nulli. 



Berberis yunnanensis: ramuli glabri; folia adulta membranacea, plerumque 

 Integra, utrinque laxe reticulata; flores 3-8 fasciculati v. fasciculato-racemosi v. 

 racemosi; ovaria ovulis (3-)4 instructa; styli breves v. nulli. 



But there are some forms, which I think are intermediate between the last two 

 species, for instance, Wilson's No. 4170. The leaves of this specimen are mostly 

 entire, their nervation is rather like that of B. diaphana and the fruits are solitary, 

 bearing only four seeds (or two seeds and two arrested ovules). This as well as 

 No. 2865 I have here tentatively referred to this species. But there is a very 

 interesting, somewhat intermediate, form, collected by Wilson (No. 3145, Veitch 

 Exped. 1904; flowering specimens), the leaves of which very much resemble those 

 of B. yunnanensis, while the single flowers with 8 ovules agree with those of B. 

 diaphana. 



Here may also be added the description of a new variety collected by Mr. 

 Purdom: 



Berberis diaphana, var. circumserrata Schneider, n. var. 



A typo differt fohis dense et graciliter circumserratis serraturis spinosis. 



Shensi: Tai-pei-shan, 1910, W. Purdom (No. 4). 



The specimen before me consists only of old gray twigs with rather strong 

 spines, young leaves and single flowers. The leaves are roundish-obovate and dis- 

 tinctly reticulate on both sides. The ovaries contain only four ovules. All things 

 considered this form seems to be a rather distinct variety of B. diaphana. 



