20 WILSON EXPEDITION TO CHINA 



Fischer founded this species, as Henry has already pointed out (1. c.) on the type 

 of Pallas's figure, of which Fischer had the original specimen in his collection. Later 

 authors, like Maximowicz and Komarov (see under P. Maximowiczii) took the 

 eastern plant for the type (at least partly) ; this has been separated with good reason 

 by Henry as a different species, P. Maximowiczii. The type is also represented for 

 the first time as P. foliis ovatis acutis "^erralis by Gmehn's plate (Fl. Sibir. 152, 

 t. 33 [1747]). To this typical P. suaveolens may belong Maximowicz's P. suaveo- 

 lens, var. a (in Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. LIV. 51 [1879]), at least concerning the speci- 

 mens of Tatarinow and Bretschneider if they do not belong to P. Simonii. The 

 Kansu specimen of Piasezki I refer to var. Przewalskii (see p. 32). It is often very 

 difficult to determine herbarium specimens and to keep apart the forms of P. 

 suaveolens, P. Maximowiczii, P. Simonii and P. laurifolia. Turczaninow (in Bull. 

 Soc. Nat. Mosc. XXVII. 398 (1854); Fl.BaicaV-Dahur. II. 124 [1856]) describes 

 the variability of the leaves of P. suaveolens, mentioning three different forms. 

 Gombocz does not separate S. Maximowiczii from P. suaveolens. 



In western Szech'uan from 1000-3300 m. altitude, this is very common on the 

 banks of rivers and in the forest and has been very extensively planted as a shade 

 tree in the warm semi-arid valleys. It is a favorite with Tibetan monks, and their 

 lamasaries and dwelUngs are generally shaded by groves of this Poplar. It is a 

 large tree, often 30 m. tall, with massive wide-spreading branches. The trunk is 

 thick and the bark is smooth and pale gray on yoimg trees but becomes dark and 

 fissured with age. The leaves vary in size considerably and the branchlets are 

 always glabrous. Pictures of this tree will be found under Nos. 223 and 0334 of 

 the collection of my photographs and also in my Vegetation oj Western China, No. 

 396. E. H. W. 



Populus szechuanica Schneider, n. sp. 



Arbor ad 40 m. alta, trunco circuitu ad 4 m.; ramuli juveniles 

 (turiones) distincte angulati, olivacei v. purpurascentes, glabri, vetus- 

 tiores teretes, flavo-brunnei, deinde cinerascentes; gemmae purpuras- 

 centes, glabrae, viscosae, acutissimae. Folia initio rubescentia, pa- 

 pyracea, supra intense viridia, glabra v. basim versus puberula, subtus 

 albescentia, non v. vix puberula, nervis primariis et ex parte secundariis 

 distinctis, turionum saepissime ovato-elongata, basi leviter v. distincte 

 cordata v. rotunda, apicem versus sensim acuta v. breviter acuminata, 

 margine anguste glanduloso-crenato-dentata, 1 1-20 cm. longa et 5-1 1 

 cm. lata v. usque ad 28 cm. longa et ad 16 cm. lata, ramulorum fructi- 

 ferorum late ovata v. ovato-rotunda, basi rotunda v. plus minusve 

 cordata; minima ovato-lanceolata basi leviter acuta, apice saepissime 

 subito breviter acuminata, margine plus minusve distincte glanduloso- 

 dentata, initio ciliolata, 8-18 cm. longa et 5-15 cm. lata; petioli folio- 

 rum turionalium satis breves, 2-4 cm. longi, foliorum ramulorum satis 

 elongati, 2.5-7 cm. longi, semper glabri. Amenta tantum fructifera 

 vidi, ad 16 cm. longa, glabra; capsulae subsessiles, glabrae, 3-4-valvae, 

 ut videtur, ovato-globosae, 7-9 cm. longae, basi perianthio glabro 

 irregulariter lobato cinctae. 



