?
685-
27. Western and Northern China Plants.-Messrs. JAMES VEITCH & SONS of London have very kindly contributed through their collector, Mr. WILSON, who has recently returned to England after three years' plant-collecting in China, some plants which are valuable acquisitions. Amongst them should be specially mentioned Jasminum primulinum, a species with, as has been said, "glorified' yellow flowers of J. nudiflorum, Libocedrus macrolepis, a very fine conifer, Magnolia Delavayi and Primula obconica all of which are thriving remarkably well. The Primula has its home on ledges of rocks in the Yangtsze gorges above Ichang and is, I believe, the first one of its genus which has really succeeded in Hongkong.
28. Supplementary Indigenous Plants.-Two unknown climbing plants were discovered in the Island in 1899 and brought to the Gardens to be grown until they flowered in order to identify them. Flowers were produced in 1900 and last year. One is found to be Canavalia obtusa, D. C., and the other a species of Illigera, which is apparently the same as specimens in the herbarium which were collected on the Lo-fau Mountains in the Kwang Tung Province: These bring the total number of plants, exclusive of mosses, lichens, sea-weeds and fungi, indigenous to Hongkong, up to 1,344 that is 38 more than BENTHAM gives as indigenous to the whole of the British Islands, BENTHAM in the "Flora Hongkongensis," published in 1861, described 1,053 plants as found here. About ten years later Dr. H. F. HANCE in his supplement enumerated or described an additional 75 plants, and now I have a further list of about 253 later discoveries, which make the total number 1,397 species.
On the 19th April, 1900, a paper on "Some Mosses from China and Japan," by Mr. E. S. SALMON, F.L.S., was read before the Linnean Society in which 18 mosses were recorded from Hongkong, 16 of which were additions to the Flora, 5 previously found only in Japan, 5 before not found out of India, and 1 new to science; the latter was named Calymperes Fordii, Beach.
29. Interchange of Plants and Seeds. Introductions are somewhat more curtailed as the rather limited available space becomes less for their development, but every year there are many interesting and useful additions. The chief donors of plants, seeds or animals during the year were:—
Acclimatizing Association, South California. Agri-Horticultural Society, Madras.
BLAKE, Lady
Botanic Gardens, Aburi, West Africa.
Calcutta.
"J
"
Durban.
""
""
Jamaica.
ນ
Ootacamund. Saharanpur.
22
11
"1
13
22
Sibpur.
"J
Singapore.
"7
Sydney.
BLACKBURN, Commander
BULLEY, A. K.
Chinese, A
CHUNG, Dr. K. U.
Conservator of Forests, Bengal.
""
22
COOKE, Mrs. R. CROOKE, J. R., Gibraltar. DAMMANN & Co., Italy. FUNG WA-CH'UN. HALLIFAX, E. R. HODGINS, Captain A. E. HUNG YEUNG.
KIRKWOOD, J.
LOBER, A., Manila.
ORTIF, Rev. J.
ROEBELEN, C., Bangkok.
State Gardens, Baroda.
Rangoon.
Prefectural Agricultural Station, Formosa.
30. The distribution of plants and seeds has been maintained, but on a rather limited scale. The
chief recipients were:----
Acclimatizing Association, South California. Acclimatization Society, Queensland.
Belilios Public School.
BERG, V., Vice-Governor, Caroline Islands.
BLAKE, Lady
Botanic Gardens, British Guiana.
21
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Ceylon. Durban.
+
12
"7
Jamaica.
""
19
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Station, Lagos.
BOURNE, F. S. A., Shanghai.
Cox, Dr. W. H.
CROFTE, Col., Gwalior.
CROOKE, J. R., Gibraltar.
CURTIS, C., Penang.
HALLIFAX, E. R. HANCE, T.
HARRIS, A. H., Wuchow. HENRY, Dr. A.
HODGINS, Captain A. C.
Public Museum, Milwaukee.
Queen's College.
Royal Gardens, Kew.
STEPHENS, M. J. D.
TRESEDER & Co., Truro.
VEITCH, Messrs. J., & Sons, Chelsea.
Prefectural Agricultural Station, Formosa.
31. Plant Sales.-Although there was not any falling off in money realised by the sale of plants there was a large decrease in the number of plants sold. This was in consequence of the prices having been doubled about the middle of the year and the result so far as the public are concerned is that only the more wealthy of the community are now able to buy. The number of plants sold was 2,345 com- pared with 3,451 in the previous year.