160 ■ CHINESE ECONOMIC TEEES 



when young, leaves becoming glabrous and bright shining green on the 

 upper surface as they mature, pale and puberulent below. 



The flowers are small and in color are white to creamy white or 

 yellowish, the flower buds, perianth and pedicels being decidedly 

 pubescent, with short gray or brown hairs. 



Fruit undescribed. 



Common as a forest tree in Hupeh and Szechuan. It is particularly 

 abundant on the Chengtu plain and is much planted about temple 

 grounds and homes. 



Among other species reported from China are: 



Machilus velutina Champion, from Pukien and Kwangtung. 



'MacMlus chinensis Hem.-ley, from Kwangtung. 



There are other species which have been na'med and no doubt some 

 as yet not named in our Chinese forest flora. 



LITSEA 



Evergreen or rarely deciduous trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, 

 rarely opposite, mostly pinnately veined (in some species 3-nerved). 

 Flowers dioecious, small, white or yellow, crowded in axillary, umbel- 

 like cymes, subtended by concave, imbricate bracts which look like 

 sepals; perianth tube ovoid or campanulate or very short, segments 6-4 

 (more or fewer), equal or unequal or rarely absent; stamens and stam- 

 inodes usually 6-2, the filaments of the 2 outer sets usually without 

 glands; anthers usually all introrse, 4 celled. Fruit a dry or fleshy 

 drupe seated on the enlarged perianth tube, frequently in umbellate 

 clusters. 



About 160 species, mostly in the tropics; about 15 species have been 

 described from China. A genus of no commercial importance. 



Litsea sericea (Wallich) Hooker. 



Small aromatic tree to 6 m. tall. Branchlets, under surface of the 

 leaves and peduncles with long, silky hairs. Buds scaly. Leaves 

 alternate, deciduous, pinnately veined, obloug-lanceolate, acute at the 

 base, 8-10 cm. long. Flowers appear before the leaves, in solitary, short 



