MELIACEAE. — MELIA 157 



slender branches forming a narrow head. The bark is grey and fissured into thin, 

 narrow and irregular, longitudinal plates. The leaves and inflorescence are some- 

 times nearly a metre long but the size varies greatly as does also that of the leaflets 

 and the degree of pubescence on the shoots, branches of the inflorescence, and on 

 the pedicels. The characters on which Pampanini (1. c.) founded his \anety grandis 

 are inconstant as specimens before us show. 



This Cedrela is one of the most valuable timber trees in China. The wood is 

 beautifully marked with rich red bands on a yellowish brown ground; it is easily 

 worked and very durable and takes a good polish. It is used for window frames, 

 door joists, furniture making and in high grade carpentry generally. By foreigners 

 resident in China it is called "Chinese Mahogany," on account of its color and 

 durability. Colloquially the tree is known as the " Ch'uen-tien shu." 



Pictures of this tree will be found under Nos. 536, 628, 679, 689, 013 and 076 of 

 the collection of Wilson's photographs and also in his Vegetation of Western China, 

 Nos. 152-155. 



Cedrela microcarpa A. De Candolle, Monog. Phaner. I. 745 (1878). — 

 Brandis, Ind. Trees, 146 (1906). 



Western Hupeh: southwest of Ichang, in a ravine, alt. 300 m., 

 rare, June and November 1907 (No. 626, in part; tree 6-10 m. tall, 

 girth 1-2 m.)' Changlo Hsien, thickets, alt. 600 m., June 1907 (No. 

 626, in part; tree 13 m. tall, girth 1.5 m.). 



This interesting addition to the Chinese flora is a very rare tree, as far as our 

 knowledge goes, occurring in sheltered ravines up to 800 m. alt. It does not grow 

 very tall and has thick wide-spreading branches; the bark is dark grey, fissured 

 and very firm. The largest leaflets on our specimens are 21 cm. long and 10 cm. wide; 

 the capsule is from 2.5 to 3.5 cm. long and covered with large lenticels. When 

 young the shoots, rhachis of the inflorescence and the leaf-rhachis are clothed 

 with a very short velvety pubescence. 



The young shoots of this tree are not eaten by the Chinese and it is too rare to 

 be of value as a timber tree. 



A picture of this tree will be found under Nos. 489 and 0119 of the collection of 

 Wilson's photographs and also in his Vegetation of Western China, No. 151. 



MELIA L. 



Melia Azedarach Linnaeus, Spec. I. 384 (1753). — Thunberg, Fl 

 Jap. 180 (1784).— Loureiro, Fl. Cochin. I. 269 (1790). — Sims in 

 Bot. Mag. XXVII. t. 1066 (1808). — Hiern in Hooker f., Fl. Brit. 

 Ind. I. 544 (1875). — Debeaux in Act. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, XXX. 

 74 {Fl. Shangh. 22) (1875). — Franchet in Nouv. Arch. Mus. 

 Paris, s6t. 2, V. 220 (PI. David. I. 68) (1883). — Hemsley in Jour. 

 Linn. Soc. XXIII. 113 (1886). — Diels in Bot. Johrh. XXIX. 426 

 (1900). — Pampanini in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. n. ser. XVII. 125 

 (1911). — Dunn & Tutcher in Kew Bull. Misc. Inform, add. ser. X. 

 58 {Fl. Kwangtung& Hongkong) (1912). 



