366 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
somewhat perfunctorily described by Mnnro, the plant now under 
notice was conjecturally identified by Mr. Watson, the assistant- 
curator of Kew Gardens. As Arundinaria khasiana, accordingly, 
it was described by Mr. Bean in the Gardener's Chronicle^ and 
by myself in the Garden, A new light, however, was thrown 
upon the subject by Mr. Gamble's monograph of the Bambuseae 
of British India, from which it is clear that this Arundinaria 
agrees only in its black stems with Arundinaria khasiana 
(which is closely allied to Arundinaria falcata) ; and, moreover, 
that there is not among the Bambuseae of the Himalayas any 
known plant agreeing with it. 
So it became necessary to find a fatherland and a history for 
this unknown waif. At the request of the Director of Kew,. 
Messrs. Veitch made a careful search in their books, and ascer- 
tained that this plant was received in 1889 from Dr. Kegel, 
the then Director of the Botanic Gardens of St. Petersburg. 
Professor Batalin, the present Director, on being written to, 
very kindly set the matter at rest by informing the authorities 
at Kew that the seed was collected by the Eussian traveller, 
Mr. Potanin, in Northern Szechuan. He has since sent authentic 
specimens grown under glass in the St. Petersburg Botanic 
Garden from Mr. Potanin's seed, which leave no doubt as to 
their identity with the misnamed Arundinaria of Kew Gardens. 
The same plant has since been identified in the collection of Dr. 
Henry, who found it in Hupei. 
An exceptional interest attaches to the discovery of the true 
home of Arundinaria nitida, as bearing out the belief of the 
Director of Kew, that new additions to our collections of hardy 
Bamboos might be expected from the North-West of China, 
into which region, as was first pointed out by Mr. H. J. Elwes, 
there is a marked extension of the Himalayan flora. 
Arundinaria nitida in habit approaches more nearly to Arun- 
dinaria racemosa among the Himalayan species than to any other ; 
and it is noteworthy that Arundinaria racemosa has, like nitida^ 
well withstood tlic attacks of the late miserable winter, perhaps 
th(! most trying to plant life of any on record, snow not having 
fallen in sufficient quantities to protect the roots adequately 
against the severe frost. 
We are as yet without any knowledge of the si/e that Arun- 
dinaria nitida will attain with us. At Kew, in its second year. 
