166 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



Ape's Hill, A. Henry (No. 1177). Korea: Seoul, cultivated, Sep- 

 tember 24, J. G. Jack. 



This Box is found in many parts of China and is common in rocky places in 

 the woods and thickets of western Hupeh and in Szech'uan. It is also a favorite 

 garden shrub with the Chinese. This variety is really the typical Buxus of east- 

 ern continental Asia and the variation in foliage, habit, etc. is similar to what 

 occurs in the European B. sempervirens Linnaeus, which is distinguished by the 

 minute gynophore to the rudimentary ovary in the male flower. From B. micro- 

 phylla Siebold & Zuccarini, which under the rules of priority must be kept as the 

 type of the species, this Chinese variety is well distinguished by the pubescent 

 branches and larger leaves. It is nearest to B. microphylla, var. japonica Reh- 

 der & Wilson, which is easily recognized by its glabrous shoots. In western 

 Hupeh this plant is colloquially known as " Huang-yang." 



We have seen one cultivated specimen from an American nursery labelled B. 

 Fortunei, which is undoubtedly the Chinese variety but the true B. Fortunei 

 Carriere (in Rev. Hort. 1871, 519) is a very different plant with long and narrow 

 subcuneate leaves and is of doubtful origin and but incompletely described. It 

 is possible that Carriere' s plant is a form of the tjTpical B. microphylla Siebold & 

 Zuccarini, but it is much more probable that it is a variety of the European B. 

 sempervirens Linnaeus. 



The plant referred to B. sempervirens by Hayata (in Jour. Coll. Sci. Tokyo, 

 XXV. art. XIX. 193 {Fl. Mont. Formosae) [1908] probably ^belongs to B. micro- 

 phylla, var. sinica Rehder & Wilson. 



Buxus Harlandii Hance in Jour. Linn. Soc. XIII. 123 (1873).— 

 Schneider, III. Handb. Lauhholzk. II. 139, fig. 89 w, 90 d-e (1907). 



Buxus sempervirens Bentham, Fl. Hongk. 315 (non Linnaeus) (1861). — 

 Hemsley in Jour. Linn. Soc. XXVI. 418 (pro parte) (1894). — Dunn & 

 Tutcher in Kew Bull. Misc. Inform, add. ser. X. 233 (Fl. Kwangtung and 

 Hongkong) (1912). 



Buxus microphylla Franchet, PI. Delavay. 136 (non Siebold & Zuccarini) 

 (1889), excludendo synonymo B. stenophylla. 



Western Hupeh : Ichang gorge, on rocks, alt. 30-300 m., March 

 24, 1908 (No. 3399; fluviatile shrub, 15-30 cm. tall); same locality, A. 

 Henry (No. 3313). Fokien: without locality, Dunn's Exped., April 

 to June 1905 (Herb. Bot. Gard. Hongkong, No. 3515). Hong- 

 kong: Herb. Hance (No. 322, type). 



This curious species is abundant in the gorges and ravines near Ichang growing 

 in rock-crevices and among stones in the bed and banks of streams where during 

 summer floods it is submerged. It is found only at low altitudes where the winters 

 are very mild and would not be hardy in northern temperate regions. The plant 

 we have seen in cultivation as B. Harlandii is B. microphylla, var. japoniZa Rehder 

 & Wilson. 



From the habitat given it is very probable that B. cephalantha L6veill6 & Vaniot 

 (in Fedde Rep. sp. Nov. III. 21 (1906)) belongs here. 



As the determination of the Chinese material made necessary a study of most 

 of the species of the subgenus Eubuxus, we have improved this opportunity by 

 compiling a short synopsis of all the species of this subgenus. 



