8 GENERAL COLLETT AND MR. W. B. HEMSLEY ON PLANTS 
throughout the Shan States, being equally at home in the shady 
depths of a forest and on the ridges raised to divide irrigated 
rice-fields. Though of small stature, it is of remarkably vigorous 
growth, often bearing two or even three distinct whorls of 
flowers. I have found it in flower in some situation or other in 
every month of the year; in this respect, as well as in its general 
aspect, strongly reminding one of its North-west Himalayan 
congener P. floribunda ; but it is an annual. 
The Convolvulaceæ are numerously represented in the Shan 
hills, constituting more than 3:5 per cent. of the collection. The 
genera Lettsomia and Ipomea, in particular, form a conspicuous 
part of the flora. Of the latter genus our new J. nana presents 
some curious and unusual characters. It is a small erect plant, 
six to twelve inches high, growing among the grass on the level 
plateau or on dry hill-sides. The flowers are large, of a beautiful 
deep purple, and are usually hidden among the grass-stems, 
which they rarely overtop. The root is very thick and woody; 
and the flowers strongly resemble those of an allied species, also 
new, which we have named J. popahensis, from its being found 
on the isolated Popah mountain, which is of volcanic origin and 
elevated about 5000 feet above the plains of Upper Burma. 
Ipomea popahensis also grows among grass, but is distinguished 
from its congener by having a weak stem which twines round 
the culms of grasses and other plants. 
I much regret that I had only one day’s botanizing on Mount 
Popah, and that in the month of December, a most unproductive 
season, for it would be very interesting to compare the plants of 
this hill, which has certainly been isolated since early Tertiary 
times, with those of the Shan hills, separated therefrom by about 
fifty miles of flat country, some eight hundred feet only above 
sea-level. 
Among the numerous Labiatæ of the Shan hills, Colguhounia 
elegans is certainly the most beautiful. This fine plant is only 
recorded from Burma, and in our area attains a height of eight 
to ten feet. It is described by Kurz as “a scandent or half- 
scandent shrub," but in the Shan hills it is certainly erect, and 
is often seen standing above the low bushes among which it 
grows. There are two varieties of it, inhabiting distinct areas; 
but as they differ only in the colour of their flowers, one being 
dark red and the other pale salmon, we have not distinguished 
them in the enumeration. This shrub is very common all over 
