JUGLANDACE AE . — JUGLANS 1 87 



CARYA. 



Determined by C. S. Sargent. 



Carya cathayensis Sargent, n. sp. 



Arbor 12-20-metralis, trunco 30-60 cm. diam.; cortex laevigatua, griseus; 

 ramuli tenues, novelli squamis luteo-aurantiacis obtecti, demum puberuli et sparse 

 lepidoti, annotini purpureo-grisei, versus apicem puberuli, lenticellis parvis in- 

 Btructi. Folia 5-7-foliolata, petiolo incluso 20-30 cm. longa; petioli et rhaches 

 juniora puberula, sparse squamis obtecta; foliola breviter petiolulata, lanceolata v. 

 obovato-lanceolata, interdum leviter falcata, acuminata, basi attenuata, cuneata v. 

 rotundata, simpliciter serrata, margine ciliata, 10-14 cm. longa, 3.5-5 cm. lata, 

 juniora subtus dense squamis luteo-aurantiacis vestita, demum sparse lepidota, 

 costa media pilosa excepta glabra, pallide luteo-aurantiaca. Flores ignoti. Fructus 

 juvenilis obovoideus, basi constrictus, 4-costatus costis alatis, dense squamis luteo- 

 aurantiacis obtectus; exocarpium maturum 2.5-3 mm. crassum, sparse lepidotum; 

 nux ovoidea v. ovalis, subcylindrica, leviter compressa, basi rotundata, apice acuta, 

 mucronulata, obscure 4-angulata, 2-2.5 cm. longa, 1.5-2 cm. diam.; endocarpium 

 2.5-3 mm. crassum; cotyledones apice profunde lobatae. 



Chekiang: mountains round Changhua Hsien, 70 miles west of Hangchou, at 

 an elevation of about 130-400 m. above the sea-level, July 8-12, 1915 (with old 

 nuts picked up from the ground), (near Yi-tsun, No. 1521) F. N. Meyer. 



Without buds it is impossible to be sure of the section of the genus to which 

 this species belongs, but in spite of the few leaflets, the comparatively thick husk 

 of the fruit, the thick shell of the nut and the deeply lobed cotyledons, I believe 

 that it belongs to the Apocarya C. De CandoUe which is distinguished by the val- 

 vate scales of the bud, and that it is most closely related to C. myristiciformis 

 Nuttall. This species, unlike the other American species of this section, has 

 usually 7 to 9 but occasionally 5 leaflets. Like C. cathayensis, it has obovoid con- 

 spicuously winged young fruit covered with yellow scales, a thick-shcllcd elliptic 

 nut and deeply lobed cotyledons. That is, in these two species are found characters 

 which connect Eucarya and Apocarya, which without these intermediate forms might 

 be considered distinct genera. 



Since the finding in China of a species of Ldriodendron and of Sassafras, pre- 

 viously believed to be monotypic genera of eastern North America, no addition 

 to our knowledge of the distribution of the trees of the northern hemisphere is so 

 important and interesting as Mr. Meyer's discovery of a representative of the 

 genus Carya in Asia, for it has always been supposed that this genus was confined 

 to eastern America where it is represented by several widely distributed and 

 common trees.* 



Meyer's attention was first drawn to this tree by finding the nuts offered for 

 sale on a fruit-stand in the city of Hanchou. In writing of his discovery he says, 

 " The upper surface of the leaves is of a soft green color, while the under surface 

 is rusty brown. When the wind blows a group of these Hickories presents a re- 

 markably reddish brown blotch of color in the midst of the ordinary green vegeta- 

 tion. The nuts are collected for sale; they are eaten as a sweetmeat, and a fine 

 clear yellow oil is extracted from them and used in fancy pastry. The wood is 

 tough and strong and is used for tool-handles. The trees are more or less pro- 



1 Carya sinensis Dode (in Bull. Soc. Dendr. France, 1912, 39, fig.) is certainly 

 not a Carya and, judging by the figure of the fruit, is probably Aleurites triloba 

 Forster, the Candle-nut tree of southern China, often cultivated in tropical coun- 

 tries for the oil contained in the cotyledons. 



