500 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



wicz in Act. Hort. Petrop. XI. 105 (1890). — Purdom in Gard. Chron. ser. 3, LXIV. 

 346, fig. 150-152 (1912). 



Arbor ad 25-metrali3; ramuli homotini glabri v. initio minutissime puberuli, 

 annotini flavescentes v. flavo-cinerei, lenticellis parvis instructi. Folia 5-7-folio- 

 lata; foliola membranacea, oblongo-oblanceolata v. obovato-oblonga v. oblonga, 

 subito acuminata, basi cuneata, inferiora obliqua, extus interdum fere rotundata, 

 argute inaequaliter serrulata dentibus acutiusculis v. obtusiusculis, 9-16 cm. longa 

 et 3-5.5 cm. lata, laete viridia, supra glaberrima, subtus ad costam mediam 

 praesertim in parti inferiore et saepe in parte inferiore nervorum pilosula, ceterum 

 glaberrima, maturitate subtus et supra (in sicco saltum) leviter elevato-reticulata, 

 costa media supra leviter, subtus manifeste elevata, nervis utrinsecus 13-17 subtus 

 elevatis; petiolulus folioli medii circiter 1 cm., ei foliolorum exteriorum 2-3 mm. 

 longi puberuli; petioli 6-12 mm. longi, minute puberuli. Panicula cylindrica cum 

 pedunculo 5-8 cm. longo fere glabro circiter 25 cm. longa; rhachis minute puberula; 

 inflorescentiae partiales numerosissimae, graciliter pedunculatae pedunculo 1-1.5 

 longo, 5-10-florae, minute puberulae; pedicelli 2-A mm. longi; calyx anguste cam- 

 panulatus, 4-5 mm. longus, extus minute puberulus, inaequaliter 5-lobatus, saepe 

 irregulariter bilabiatus lobis obtusis brevibus minute ciliolatis; petala 4, circiter 

 10 mm. longa, alba, minute ciliolata, extus puberula, intus glabra, superiora ob- 

 lanceolata, 1.5 mm. lata, lateralia oblongo-obovata basi sensim in unguiculans 

 attenuata, circiter 2.5 mm. lata; stamina plerumque 6, 20-30 mm. longa, filamentis 

 filiformibus glabris, antheris oblongis fulvis 1.5 mm. longis; pistillum rudimenta- 

 rium floris masculi clavatum calycem vix superans. Fructus globoso-obovoideus, 

 apice truncatus plerumque leviter impressus, 3-4 cm. diam., pallide flavo-cinereus 

 dense verruculosus, pariete exteriore valvarum 5-6 mm. crassa, in sicco; semina 

 plerumque tantum 1-2 evoluta, subglobosa, 2-2.5 cm. diam., obscure castaneo- 

 brunnea, sed hilo albido plus quam dimidiam partem seminis occupante. 



Chili: near Peking, western hills, growing in temple grounds, April 30, 1912, 

 W. Purdom (No. 874; flowers not yet open); Peking, September 20, 1877, E. Bret- 

 schneider (leaves); same locality, 1882, E. Bretschneider (fruits); without locality 

 and without collector (ex Herb. St. Petersburg; flowers). Shensi: without local- 

 ity, Piasezki (ex Maximowicz). 



This species has been often confused with A. turbinata Blume, which has entirely 

 different leaves and flowers; the leaflets are sessile, obovate, larger, pubescent on 

 the under surface or at least ferruginously pubescent on the midrib and veins 

 while young; the flowers are similar in color and shape to those of A. Hippocas- 

 tanum Linnaeus, but smaller (a good colored plate will be found in Shirasawa, 

 Icon. Ess. For. Jap. I. t. 71); the fruits are similar to those of A. chinensis, 

 but they are larger, about 4-5 cm. long, rounded and even slightly apiculate at 

 the apex, dark brown and densely dotted with rather large light yellowish brown 

 warts, not uniformly pale yellowish brown as in A. chinensis: the walls are about 

 3-4 mm. thick; the seeds which have the same large hilum differ in their size, 

 measuring 2.5-3.5 in diameter. 



Aesculus chinensis seems to occur in the neighborhood of Peking as a planted tree 

 only and it is possible that like the Moutan it is a native of Shensi, where Piasezki 

 collected it according to Maximowicz, and that it, like the Moutan, was carried east- 

 ward with the spread of Chinese civilization. It is extremely rare in European 

 gardens; the only definite proof of its existence we have, are some fruits collected 

 by Professor Sargent at the famous arboretum at Segrez in 1887, but the tree 

 probably no longer exists, at least the writer did not notice it, as he visited the same 

 place in 1905. It has recently been reintroduced by the Arnold Arboretum through 

 its collector W. Purdom. 



