302 



RANZAXIA: A NEW GENUS OP BERBERIDACE.E. 



By Tokutaro Ito, F.L.S. 



Some years ago, while occupied in studying certain Japanese 

 species of Berberidaceae, a family more magnificently represented 

 in Japan than in any other parts of the world, I came across 

 some imperfect specimens of a plant which appeared to me as yet 

 undescribed. Finding that this plant showed a closer relation in 

 many respects to Podophyllum than to any of the other genera of 

 Berberidacete, I appended to one of the specimens the new specific 

 name of Podophyllum japonicum, and sent it to M. Maximowicz, of 

 St. Petersburg, for further consideration. Consequently this name 

 appeared in the sixth part of Maximowicz' • Diagnoses plantarum 

 no varum Asiaticarum,' as one of the new plants lately discovered 

 in Japan.* Afterwards, when I made a systematic study of 

 Japanese Berber idacere, I entertained much doubt with regard to 

 its generic position, and stated as follows :— t 



" rise tamen est manifeste nova species, cui ceterae PodophylU 

 species de toto dissimiles sunt ternatis foliis. Mihi autem a speci- 

 nnnum pancitate positio generis adhuc dubia videtur." 



Since I made this statement, I have been able to examine more 

 specimens, some of which have either solitary or a few flowers, and 

 thus the "generis positio" of this plant became much more 

 manifest. It appears that the plant, at the time of flowering, has 

 the leaves still immature, but soon after the whole plant, espe- 

 cially the leaves, makes enormous development, becoming several 

 tunes larger than at the time of flowering ; and finally the ovoid 

 fruits, each containing numerous minute seeds, become ripe. The 

 -lant has often solitary, few, or sometimes umbellate flowers, each 

 ower having a fine trimerous perianth. The mode of dehiscence 

 of the anthers, the sessile stigma, ternate leaves, and other 

 characters, seem to show the necessity for its distinction from 

 Podophyllum, and for the establishment of a new genus. 



1 propose to call the new genus after the name of the late Ono 

 itanzan, the most eminent of Japanese naturalists, rightly denomi- 

 nated by biebold as the "Linne du Japon." Our genus approaches, 

 ana perhaps comes between, Podophyllum and Diphyllcia. 



RANZANIA T. Ito, nov. gen. 



* r M R ;? a ? 01 4 ca mihl ~ Podophyllum japonicum T. Ito in Maximowicz, 

 Mel .Biol. xi. 1880, 417; Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. xxii. 1887, 434. 

 Bhii m apoma3 P rinci pali insula: in monte Togakushi, prov. 



Japonice : Togakiishi-sO, i.e., Planta e Togakushi (mihi). 



P/iJrS" 86 * ? iol ?Bi<lues tir^s du Bulletin de l'Acad. Imperiale des Sci. d. St. 

 retersbourg, vol. xn. 1886, p . 417 



Bot! volSiL Y887 id - ea 43T Japonito Conspectus, in Journ. Linn. Soc. London, 



