14 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. I, No. i 
Around Ichang, which is situated at an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the 
winters may be severe, as is proved by the meteorological record for the 
year 1888, which showed an absolute minimum of 22 0 F. ( — 5.6° C.) in 
February. 1 It is highly probable that a series of observations extending 
over a number of years would show that the minimum temperature 
occasionally falls decidedly lower than this. It would undoubtedly be 
colder at an altitude of 4,200 feet in the near-by Hsingshan District, 
where this species grows wild. 
Mr. Wilson, who knows the climate of this part of China well, is con¬ 
fident that the “Ichang lemon’’ will prove to be one of the hardiest 
citrous fruits. Add to this the fact that the fruit is of a quality good 
enough to cause it to be exported to cities several hundred miles distant 
and it is obvious that this strikingly distinct new species of Citrus promises 
to be of value as a hardy substitute for the lemon, as well as a vigorous 
and hardy stock for other citrous fruits, and is eminently deserving of the 
attention of experimenters for use in the breeding of new types of hardy 
citrous fruits now so much in demand in this and other countries. 
Its discovery in a part of China as accessible as Ichang is a further proof 
of the rich harvest of new species of plants that awaits the botanist and 
agriculturist in China. 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 
Plats I. Citrus ichangensis Swingle: The type specimen from Hsingshan District, 
Hupeh Province, China, E. H. Wilson, No. 2230, May 7, 1907; in the herbarium 
of Arnold Arboretum; natural size. 
1 Doberck, William, 1889. Meteorological observations made at Ichang, China, and at South Cape 
Formosa, in 1S88. Quart. Jour. Roy. Met. Soc. [London], v. is, no. 72, p. 242. 
