186 



petiole scars are persistent and show plainly on the old 

 branches. On the older branches the bark becomes purplish 

 brown. The lenticels break into large, light-colored stripes, 

 which form a showy color pattern against the darker bark. The 

 ends of the branches are covered with rusty brown wool. The 

 leaves tend to form terminal masses or rosettes on the branches. 

 The individual leaves stand nearly at right angles to the twigs. 



The terminal buds are 4-8 mm. long, cylindric, blunt, naked, 

 and consisting of one leaf rudiment much larger than the other 

 leaf rudiments which are clustered at its base. All parts are 

 densely covered with fine brown tomentum. The leaf segments 

 of the rudiments are folded conduplicately. 



All parts of the young leaves, especially the petiole, midrib 

 and undersurface are strongly suffused with red. The half- 

 matured leaves have bright red petioles and midrib, the blade is 

 vivid green. The leaflets are roughish pubescent above and 

 covered below with fine whitish wool. 



The leaves are alternate, evergreen. The mature leaves are 

 24-36 cm. long and 20-24 cm. wide, obovate, compound, impari- 

 pinnate, with 2-6 (usually 5-6) pa'rs of petioled leaflets and i 

 terminal leaflet. The top-most pair of leaflets are longest; the 

 terminal leaflet is the largest. 



The midrib is 10-30 cm. long, terete, not margined, petiolate 

 in the lower third or fourth. The petiole is terete, stout, angled 

 and much enlarged at its base, and conspicuously excavated 

 above, making a pocket for the axillary bud. The basal part of 

 the petiole is a motile region or pulvinus, for the proper orienta- 

 tion of the blade. There are no stipules. The leaflets are 

 crowded so as to overlap. They are ovate-lanceolate or oblong, 

 with apex more or less acute, base rounded or broadly cuneate, 

 and margin coarsely crenate serrate. They are 5-15 cm. long 

 and 2.5-8 cm. wide, tough, eemi-coriaceous, almost sessile or 

 short stalked. The venation is pinnate; the veins are promi- 

 nent be'ow, and impressed above. The midrib of the leaflet is 

 strong, sometimes lighter and sometimes darker than the blade. 

 The lateral veins are numerous, parallel, and boldly forking 

 toward their extremities. The leaflets are subglabrous above 



