THE CHINESE FLORA. 



895 



THE CHINESE FLORA. 

 By E. H. Wilson. 

 Lecture given Nov. 6, 1906. 



The Chinese flora, like China herself, is a very large subject. The whole 

 flora is estimated to contain not less than 12,000 species, and it is probable 

 that this figure is well under the mark. During the last few years, 

 owing to the enterprise of Messrs. James Veitch, of Chelsea, the Chinese 

 flora has been brought very prominently before the horticultural world, 

 but it must not for one moment be supposed that the Chinese flora can 

 be said to be exhausted in any sense. Large tracts of country, and even 

 whole provinces, such as Hunan, have never had a plant collected in 

 them ; and when it is remembered that in China each glen and mountain 

 range has plants peculiar to itself, it will perhaps be recognised that 

 our subject is far from being exhausted. It is, indeed, practically inex- 

 haustible. 



Our knowledge of the wonderfully rich flora of China has gradually 

 been built up through the labours of a large number of persons of various 

 occupations — Jesuit priests, Protestant missionaries, travellers, merchants, 

 Consular and Imperial Maritime Customs officials, as well as others, have 

 added to it. I do not propose to give an account of botanical exploration 

 in China, but a few remarks about the part played by the Royal 

 Horticultural Society seem opportune. 



Dr. Lindley, writing in 1821, says: 



" One of the many objects which occupy the Horticultural Society is 

 the introduction of ornamental plants to gardens of this country, and 

 the free distribution of them when procured. As it is difficult to form a 

 very correct idea of the beauty of the plants from the appearance they 

 assume when dried, it was determined by the Society that a person should 

 be employed in making drawings of the plants in the country where they 

 grew. For several reasons China was selected for a beginning, and 

 particularly as being the residence of John Reeves, Esq., a correspon- 

 dent and very active member of the Society, under whose immediate 

 superintendence the draughtsmen could be placed." 



John Reeves, the gentleman mentioned by Dr. Lindley, was born in 1774, 

 and entered the service of the Honourable East India Company in 1808. 

 In 1812 he proceeded to Canton, finally leaving China in 1831. When 

 Reeves went to China very little was known of the country, its natural 

 productions or its gardens ; from the time of his arrival Reeves devoted 

 his leisure to investigating its resources. He made it his principal 

 aim to procure specimens of the natural productions of the conn try, 

 and transmit them to such individuals or Societies in England as 

 appeared most likely to make good use of them. His principal corre- 

 spondent for some years was Sir Joseph Banks. During the whole of 



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