March 13, 1889.] 



Garden and Forest. 



123 



numerous other hardy plants of the Chino-Japanese region It 

 is sufficient to name the Incomparable Wistaria Sinensis, Cle- 

 matis patens, Ainpelopsis Veitc Mi and the China Aster; among 

 more strictly green-house plants, though they thrive out-of- 

 doors in the milder parts of the country, the Camellia, Chry- 

 santhemum, Primula and Azalea. 



But it is not my intention to dwell upon what we already pos- 

 sess ; rather on that portion of the flora of eastern Asia which 

 is still known to us only from dried specimens and the neces- 

 sarily imperfect descriptions of travelers. Russians, French 

 and English have recently contributed largely to the general 

 fund of information, and it happens that each nationality has 

 collected for the greater part in a different region or regions, 

 the fforas of which are so diverse that few of the novelties 

 from these different sources are the same. Collectively their 

 explorations have led to the discovery of an enormous number 

 of new species, and no inconsiderable number of new general 

 types. Considering the highly ornamental character of many 

 of the Chinese denizens of our gardens, it was not to be ex- 

 pected that the later discoveries would surpass in beauty, 

 grandeur, elegance or singularity what was previously known 

 of the flora of the Celestial Empire. Nevertheless, as I shall 

 presently show, the existence has been revealed of many 

 herbs, shrubs and trees that would grace the gardens of our 

 western countries. 



Mr. Maximowicz is engaged on the Russian collections of 

 Przewalski, Piasezki, Potanin and others, but his numerous 

 duties prevent him from making very rapid progress. M. 

 Franchet has already published the collections made by the 

 French Abb6, David in northern China and eastern Mongolia 

 and Tibet, and, in part, the exceedingly rich collections made by 

 the Ahh6 Delavay, chiefly in Alpine regions, in the western 

 province of Yunnan; while to the writer has fallen the task of 

 the final elaboration of Forbes and Hemsley's "Index Flora 

 Sinensis," which appears in the Journalof the Liniiean Society 

 of London. The last contains an enumeration of all the plants 

 known to grow in China proper and the contiguous islands, 

 with references to the publications in which they are described 

 or figured, together with their synonymy, distribution in China 

 and extensions beyond, with descriptions of new genera and 

 species. Since the issue of the first part of the "Index" the 

 materials in the herbaria of the British Museum and Kew 

 have been largely augmented, the former by the acquisition 

 of the herbarium of the late Dr. Hance, who spent nearly forty 

 years in China and devoted his spare time, which was very 

 little, to the elucidation of its botany; and the Kew establish- 

 ment by numerous small collections, but more especially by 

 very large collections made by Dr. A. Henry in the central 

 province of Hupeh, and a considerable collection from the 

 province of Szechuen, made by the Rev. E. Faber, a German 

 missionary. 



I propose passing in brief review such new species, or new 

 genera, as are of interest to gardeners, not forgetting older 

 ones of merit that have not yet been brought into cultivation, 

 and interspersing notes relating thereto by the collectors 

 themselves. 



Clematis. — About thirty species of this genus are recorded 

 from China in the " Index," and subsequent discoveries have 

 added ten or a dozen more ; some of them are quite new, 

 others new to China. Among the latter a pink-flowered vari- 

 ety of C montana, a species which is specially valuable ©n ac- 

 count of its hardiness and early flowering. The Chinese vari- 

 ety was collected on the mountains near Ichang, and was in 

 flower in May, so that it possesses the merits of the typical 

 Indian form, with a variation in color. C. Henryi {"Icofies 

 Platttartim," t. 1819) is a very distinct new climbing species, 

 having simple, cordate-oblong three-nerved leaves and soli- 

 tary axiflary flowers, with thick, waxy- white sepals about an 

 inch long, with a litUe pink in the middle on the upper sur- 

 face. Flowering specimens were collected in Antelope Glen, 

 Ichang, on the sth of February ; and Dr. Henry states that the 

 flowers were seen peeping out of the heavy snow the same 

 winter; therefore it must be a desirable plant for introduction. 

 A very narrow-leaved variety of C recta, having white flow- 

 ers, succeeded by golden, feathery carpels, looks very pretty 

 in the .dried state. Of equal interest to the new species were 

 wild specimens of C. jlorida, from the neighborhood of 

 Ichang, where, however, it was only found in one spot. C. 

 Armandi {" Plan tee Davidiance" ii., p. 2) is a tall, climbing 

 shrub, with ternate leaves and ample terminal panicles of 

 white, fragrant flowers about two inches in diameter. 



Davidia involiicrata is one of the most remarkable of the 

 Abbg David's discoveries in the province of Moupine, Eastern 

 Tibet. It is an elegant tree, between sixty and seventy feet 

 high, with foliage singularly like that of a Lime-tree, and in 



inflorescence and floral structure so peculiar that its place in 

 the natural system cannot be determined with certainty in the 

 absence of more complete material. The conspicuous part of 

 the inflorescence consists of two oblong-cordate white bracts, 

 six inches long, nearly opposite each other, and tapering at the 

 tips. A little above these, and terminating the stalk on which 

 they are borne is a flower, or cluster of fiowers, consisting of 

 a pistil and numerous stamens with red anthers. Its af^nity 

 is with the HamamelidecE. The late M. Decaisne, in a letter to 

 Sir Joseph Hooker in 1871, the year after the discovery of the 

 tree, states that he was given to understand that it was in cul- 

 tivation in the nursery of A. Leroy, at Angers ; but, although 

 Leroy may have had seed, it does not appear that he suc- 

 ceeded in raising plants. The Abbe David, m an introductory 

 chapter to Franchet's " PI antes Davidiance" states that it grew 

 at an elevation between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, associated with a 

 Cerasus bearing small red fruits, a gigantic Corylus, a Ouercus, 

 various Laiirinece and numerous species of Ficus of the most 

 varied aspect. He mentions, too, that he collected good seed 

 of several species of Rhododendron and three of Magnolia, 

 which was lost in consequence of arriving in France during 

 the war with Germany. 



Magnolia. — Imperfect specimens were received at Paris of 

 an arboreous species, between ninety and one hundred feet 

 high, which bears very large white and purplish odoriferous 

 flowers, similar to those of M. Campbellii, and produced in April 

 and May ; and Dr. Henry has sent specimens of two very fine 

 species from the Patung district. They are both large trees, 

 with huge deciduous leaves and large terminal solitary flow- 

 ers, red in one species and white in the other. 



Abutilon Sinense. — A very conspicuous shrub or small tree, 

 with cordate leaves and showy yellow flowers, campanulate in 

 shape, and from two to two and a half inches long. It inhabits 

 mountain-woods to the northward of Nan-t'o, and attains a 

 height of twenty feet. Should this prove hardy, it will well pay 

 for introducing. 



Decumaria Sinensis. — This is specially interesting on ac- 

 count of its being a member of a genus of which previously 

 only one species was known — namely, D. barbara, a native of the 

 Atlantic States of North America, from Florida to North Caro- 

 lina, thus adding one more link in the chain of connections 

 between the floras of these two widely-separated regions. Dr. 

 Henry describes the Chinese species as a creeping shrub, 

 hanging from the wall of the cliff in the Ichang Gorge, with 

 beautiful clusters of fragrant white flowers. It bears a general 

 resemblance to the American species, and is figured in the 

 " /cones Plantarum," t. 1741. 



/tea ilicifolia. — A distinct species with Holly-like {/lex Aqui- 

 foliuni) leaves and long, narrow racemes of white flowers. 

 Common about Ichang in rocky places on the tops and sides 

 of cliffs. Judging from the dried specimens this is the most 

 ornamental of the genus, which is restricted to eastern North 

 America, the mountains of northern India and to China and 

 Japan. Figured in the "/cones Plantariun," t. 1538. 



Chitnonanthus nitens. — A very well marked species of a 

 genus previously supposed to be monotypic. From dried 

 specimens it appears to be an evergreen, and even if not ever- 

 green the white flowers are certainly produced with the thick 

 shining leaves. A shrub five or six feet high, inhabiting the 

 neighborhood of Ichang. Figured in the "/cones Plantarum," 

 t. 1600. 



Liriodendron. — We have imperfect specimens of a Tulip- 

 tree from the Lushan Tylountains, Kiukiang, from two different 

 collectors. Whether they belong to a distinct species or to 

 the North American species is uncertain. There is evidence 

 of the early introduction into China of a considerable number 

 of American useful plants, and there is always the possibility 

 that the Tulip-tree may have been introduced. On the other 

 hand, there appear to be differences. The Chinese Tulip- 

 tree is described as of spreading habit, which is at variance 

 with the upright habit of the North American tree as it grows 

 in England; and the one flower seen is much smaller than any 

 of the North American we have for comparison. The leaves, 

 however, offer no distinctive character. Further information 

 respecting the Chinese tree is awaited with great interest. It 

 is noteworthy that no specimens of this tree have been sent in 

 the very complete collections made by Dr. Henry. 



Lonicera. — Upwards of thirty species of Honeysuckle have 

 been detected in China, including seven or eight new ones in 

 the later collections. Among the latter Lonicera fuchsioides 

 is remarkably distinct and ornamental, reminding one much 

 of some of the Andine species of Fuchsia, having ternated 

 verticillate leaves and erect flowers. It was discovered by the 

 Rev. E. Faber on Moimt Omei, Szechuen, at an elevation of 

 5,000 feet. L. //enryi, from the Patung district, has terminal 



