1
4 1 3 . G le d its c h ia (t.) m o n o sp è rm a.
though smootli when the tree is
young, yet cracks and scales off when
th e tre e grows old, as in G. triacànthos.
The leaves, Michanx says,
differ from those o f G. triacànthos, in
being a little smaller in all the ir proportions.
The branches are armed
with thorns, which .are also less numerous,
and somewhat smaller than
those o f G. triacànthos. T h e tree is
treated in all respects like G. tria - 1
c á n th o s ; o f which.it has, till lately,
been considered only a variety. It
is raised in th e nurseries from imported
se e d ; b u t whether th e plants
really turn o u t perfectly distinct,
with respect to the form o f the ir fruit,
is uncertain ; from their not having yet, as far as we know, fruited in En g lan d .
¥ 3. G. s i n e ' n s i s Lam. T h e Chinese Gleditschia.
Identification. L am . D ie t., 2. p . 465. ; D e c. P ro d ., 2.
p. 479. J D o n ’s Mill., 2. j>. 428.
S yn o n ym es. G. h ó rrid a Willd. Sp. 4. p . 1098. ; F é vier
de la Chine, Fr.
E n g ra vin g s. Dec. Légum. Mém., 1. t . 1. ; th e plate
o f th is species in Arb. B rit., 1st ed it., vol. v.
spec. Char., SfC. Spines s tout, conical ;
those on th e branches simple or
branched ; those on th e stem grouped
and branched. The leaflets ovate-
elliptical, obtuse. Legumes compressed,
long. The spines in this species are
axillary, n o t distant from th e axil. {Dec.
Prod.) A middle-sized tree. China.
Height 30 ft. to SO ft. Introduced in
1774. Flowers g re en ish ; Ju n e and
July. Legume n o t seen in England.
Varieties.
f G. s. 2 inérmis N. D u Ham., G.
japónica Lodd. Cat., G. javanica
Lam. (see the plate o f this tree
in Arb. Brit., 1st e d it, vol. v .;
and o u r 4 1 4.), differs fr&m
G. sinénsis in being without
spines, ot much less vigorous
growth, and in having th e foliage
o f a much deeper green. I t seems
a very desirable variety for small
gardens.
4 1 4 . G le d itsc h ia s. in é rm is .
* H o rt., G. hórrida màjor Lodd. C a t, seems scarcely to
differ from the species. ^
¥ G. s. 4 nàna H o r t , G. h. nana in H o r t Soc. Gard. (see the plate o f
this tre e m Arb. B rit., 1st e d it, vol. v. ; and o u r ß g 415.), is a
tre e o f somewhat lower growth than th e species, but scarcely, as it
appears to us, worth keeping distinct.
h. purpùrea Lodd. Cat. (see th e plate in
Arb. B n t., 1st edit., vol. v. ; and om ß g . 416.), is a small tre e of
compact upright growth, very suitable for gardens o f limited extent.
Other Vaiieties o f G, smém is.~In Loddiges’s arboretum th e re is a plant
I j
f
41 5 . G le d itsc h ia s. n h n a
marked G. chinénsis
(P o tts ) , which was im-
ported from China by
the H o rt. Boc. I t is, a t
present, a low bush,
and may,perhaps,prove
something distinct.
There were also, in
1835, in th e H o rt. Soc.
Garden, some plants
without names, apparently
belonging to this
species; h u t, as' we have
already observed, th e
genus is in great confusion,
and nothing
perfectly satisfactory
can be stated respecting
it.
The spines, which are
very strong and branchy,
are more abundant on
the tru n k th a n on the
branches, and are frequently
found in bundles. 4 1 6. G le d itsc h ia 3. p u rp ù re a .