280 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



Western Hupeh: Hsing-shan Hsien, woodlands, alt. 1300-1600 

 m., May 1907 (No. 2978, tree 8 m. tall, flowers blush); Patung Hsien, 

 April 1901 (Veitch Exped. No. 418, tree 5 m. tall); around Ichang, 

 cultivated, July 1907 (No. 60, seeds only; tree 3-5 m. tall, fruit small, 

 greenish); same locality, 1901 (Veitch Exped. Seed No. 357). Western 

 Szech'uan: Tachien-lu, cultivated, alt. 2300-2600 m., August 1908 

 (No. 975; tree 5 m. tall, fruit red). Japan: Hondo, Lake Towada, 

 alt. 300 m., cultivated under the name of " Rinki," October 5, 1914, 

 E. H. Wilson (No. 7619; tree 4-5 m., fruit shining red); Hachinohe, 

 prov. Mutsu, T. Makino. 



There is apparently no character to distinguish M. -prunifolia and M. ringo 

 except the lesser or greater amount of pubescence and a slight difference in the 

 color of the flowers, and these can hardly be considered specific characters. Will- 

 denow described M. 'prunifolia in his Berlinische Baurnzucht as having the leaves 

 sparingly pubescent on the veins below and the calyx-tube pubescent outside, 

 while De Candolle and manj^ later authors described the leaves and the calj'^x-tube 

 as glabrous, which made the two plants appear more distinct than they really are. 

 In the specimens and living plants I have seen of M. prunifolia, the veins on the 

 under surface of the leaves have been always at least slightly pubescent, the 

 calyx-tube more or less tomentose, rarely glabrous, and the petals either white or 

 slightly pinkish outside. 



Before M. prunifolia, var. rinki was discovered by Wilson in central China in 

 a wild state, it was known only from plants cultivated in Japan and by most 

 botanists was considered a very doubtful plant. Except by recent Japanese 

 botanists it was either ignored or believed to be of hybrid origin, and M. spectabilis 

 and M. pumila have been suggested as possible parents. It is, however, difBcuIt 

 to see how this could be its parentage, as M. spectabilis is scarcely known in Japan 

 and M. pumila has not been cultivated there until recently, the first European 

 Apple trees having been introduced about 1870. The plant taken by most authors 

 for M. pumila is nothing but M. prunifolia, var. rinki which is cultivated in dif- 

 ferent forms in Japan, some of which have been recently separated as distinct species 

 by Koidzumi. The vernacular name also shows that this Apple is of Chinese origin. 

 According to notes kindly sent by Professor Matsumura the name " ringo " is 

 derived from the Chinese " hnkun " which changes to " hnko," " hnko " changes 

 to " rinko " and finally becomes " ringo." There is an older name for this Apple, 

 " riugo," which is also derived from the Chinese. The name "toringo" means 

 " Chinese Apple." 



Malus prunifolia, var. rinki varies in the shape of the leaves and in the amount 

 of pubescence and considerably in the size, shape and in the color of the fruit which 

 ranges from greenish yellow or pure yellow to shining red. Malus prunifolia, var. 

 rinki forms a wide-spreading tree usually not exceeding 5 m. in height; its fruit 

 ripens in the neighborhood of Ichang and elsewhere in the warm river valleys 

 in early July, while at greater altitudes it does not ripen until August or Sep- 

 tember; in Japan it ripens in September. 



Some of the synonyms quoted above are somewhat doubtful, particularly those 

 not accompanied by descriptions or notes. It is, however, fairly safe to assume 

 that the Apples of China and Japan considered identical with the common European 

 Apple are either the typical M. prunifolia or its variety rinki and usually the latter, 

 since M. prunifolia is not known with certainty from China proper and from Japan. 



