HAMAMELIDACEAE. — DISTYLIUBI 423 



DISTYLIUM Sieb. & Zucc. 



Distylium chinense Diels in Bot. Jahrh. XXIX. 380 (1900).— 

 Hemsley in Hooker's Icon. XXIX. t. 2835 (1907). — Fedde, Rep. 

 Nov. Sp. V. 340 (1908). 



Distylium racemosum, var. chinense Franchet apud Hemsley in Jour. Linn. 

 Soc. XXIII. 290 (1887). 



Western Hupeh: Ichang, on rocks, sides of streams, alt. 30-300 

 m., March 15, 1907 (No. 2961; bush 0.5-1.5 m. tall); vicinity of 

 Ichang, sandy and rocky places, alt. 30-300 m., April 1907 (No. 3537; 

 fluviatile shrub, 0.5-1.5 m. tall, flowers red); without locality, April 

 1900 (Veitch Exped. No. 115); Ichang and immediate neighbourhood, 

 A. Henry (Nos. 3314, 3826, 4280, 7805). 



This is one of the most common river-bank shrubs in western Hupeh and 

 eastern Szech'uan, but does not ascend above 600 m. alt. In sand and shingle and 

 on rocks it forms a dense scrub, often covering considerable stretches of the river 

 banks. The leaves vary somewhat in size and may be quite entire or rather 

 deeply toothed in the upper half; the deep red or crimson anthers are conspicuous 

 when the plant is in flower. Pictures of this tree, called Shih-tou-koutzu by the 

 Chinese, will be found under Nos. 8 and 491 of Wilson's photographs and also in 

 his Vegetation of Western China, Nos. 206 and 207. 



oblonga, acuminata, basi late cuneata, rarius rotundata, 9-13 cm. longa et 5-6 

 cm. lata, margine leviter revoluta, remote serrulata dentibus fere ad mucronem 

 brunneum reductis, utrinque glabra, supra obscure viridia, subtus paullo palli- 

 diora, utrinsecus nervis 5-8 adscendentibus anastomosantibus ut costa media sub- 

 tus elevatis; petioli validi, 1.5-2 cm. longi; stipulae subulatae, tenues, caducae, 

 2-5 mm. longae. Capitula fructifera axillaria, subterminalia, solitaria, pedunculo 

 glabro 5-6.5 cm. longo sustenta, globosa, 2.5-3 cm. diam.; capsulae ligneae, extus 

 fulvo-tomentosulae, intus atrobrunncae, 5-8 mm. longae, stylo persistent! 2-4 mm. 

 longo coronatae. 



Yunnan : Mengtze, forests to the south-east, alt. 2000 m., A. Henry (No. 10395, 

 type); same locality, alt. 1600 m., A. Henry (No. 11082). 



Allied to A. excelsa Noronha which has pubescent young shoots, more mem- 

 branous, rather differently shaped, more deeply serrated leaves, longer petioles 

 and smaller fruits with much shorter persistent styles, being in fact nearly smooth. 



No. 11082 which belongs to the same species is " said to be an enormous tree 

 12 ft. in diameter, flowers found on the ground." This specimen consists of 

 branches having young leaves and detached male inflorescences. The leaves and 

 shoots are perfectly glabrous; the serrations more prominent than in the older 

 leaves; the inflorescences are narrowly paniculate, 6-8 cm. long, the rhachis covered 

 with short yellowish crisped pubescence. 



