Gleditschia 15 13 



GLEDITSCHIA DELAVAYl 



Gleditschia Delavayi, Franchet, PL Ddav. 189 (1889); Schneider, Laubholzkunde, ii. 11 (1907). 



A tree, attaining in Yunnan 40 ft. in height. Young branchlets covered with 

 a dense minute pubescence. Leaves on adult trees simply pinnate ; leaflets ten to 

 fourteen, oblong - ovate, 2 to 2\ in. long, and f to i\ in. broad; rounded or 

 emargmate, and minutely apiculate at the apex; almost entire in margin, the 

 crenations being few and indistinct ; upper surface slightly pubescent on the midrib 

 and veins ; lower surface prominently reticulate, slightly pubescent on the midrib, 

 elsewhere glabrous ; stalklets short, stout, pubescent ; rachis covered on all sides 

 with a dense minute pubescence. 



Flowers with short pedicels, perfect, in simple loose pubescent racemes ; ovary 

 glabrous. Pod indehiscent, 16 to 20 in. long, and 2 to 2I in. wide, flattened, twisted, 

 glaucous, dark brown, slightly pubescent, not dotted with pits on the surface ; seeds 

 numerous, close to the upper suture. 



The spines on the branchlets are terete, pubescent, simple or two- to three- 

 forked. 



G. Delavayi is readily distinguishable from all the other species by its pubescent 

 branchlets and very large pods. It is a native of south-western China, where it 

 was found in Yunnan by Delavay and myself at elevations of 4000 to 6000 ft. It 

 was introduced into England by E. H. Wilson, who sent seeds in 1900 from Yunnan 

 to Messrs. Veitch ; but the plants raised from this consignment in the Coombe Wood 

 nursery died in the winter of 1905- 1906. Other plants raised two or three years 

 afterwards from seed sent by Wilson from the Min valley in Szechwan still survive 

 at Coombe Wood, as well as small plants at Kew and Cambridge. 



This species is also in cultivation at Verrieres near Paris. (A. H.) 



GLEDITSCHIA SINENSIS 



Gleditschia sinensis,^ Lamarck, Encycl. ii. 465 (1786); Bunge, Etium. PL Chin. Bor. 21 (1831); 



Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit ii. 654 (1838); Hemsley, in Journ. Linn. Soc. {Bot.) xxiii. 209 



(1887); Schneider, Laubholzkunde, ii. 9 (1907). 

 Gleditschia horrida, Willdenow, Sp. PL iv. 2, p. 1098 (1806) (not Making). 

 Gleditschia xylocarpa, Hance, m Journ. Bot. xxii. 366 (1884). 

 . Gymnocladus Williamsii, Hance, loc. cit. 



A tree, attaining in China 40 feet in height. Young branchlets glabrous. 

 Leaves usually simply pinnate ; leaflets eight to twelve, ovate-lanceolate, \\ to 2\ 

 in, long, f to I in. broad ; tapering to a rounded or truncate apiculate apex ; upper 

 surface minutely pubescent, but usually becoming glabrescent except on the midrib ; 



1 G. sinensis, Bentham, FL Hongk. 100 (1861), and Maximowicz, in Mil, Biol. xii. 453 (1886), is not Lamarck's 

 species ; and is referable to G. ausiralis, Hemsley. 



