30 xix. POLYGONACEE. (J. D. Hooker.) [ Polygonum, 
racemes; bracts tubular. Perianth 4-5-partite. Stamens 5-8, alternating 
with glands. Styles 2-8, short, stigmas capitate. Nut orbicular, com- 
pressed ; embryo slender, cotyledons narrow incumbent. 
12. P. orientale, Linn.; Meissn. Monog. Polyg. 53, t. 1, f. 30-35, . 
and t. 3, and in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 123; tall, branched, softly pubescent or 
silkily villous, leaves long-petioled ovate or ovate-cordate acuminate, 
stipules short strigose and ciliate, racemes cylindric laxly panicled, bracts 
close 3-6-fld. Bot. Mag. t. 213; Gertn. Fruct. i. t. 119, f. 5; Miquel FT. 
Ind, Bat. i. 1005; Bab. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xviii. 99. P, altissimum, 
Mench. Meth. 630. P. amoenum, Bl. Bijd. 531. P. pilosum, Roxb. Hort. 
Beng. 20, and Fl. Ind. ii. 286 ; Wall. Cat. 1710, excl. C. P. cochinchinense, 
Meissn. Monog. Polyg. 55. P.torquatum, De Bruyn in Pl. Jungh. 303. - 
Lagunea cochinchinensis, Lour. Fl. Coch. i. 271.—Rheede Hort. Mal. xu. 
t. 76. 
Wet places from Assam and SILHET westwards to OUDE and Jamu; ascending 
the Himalaya to 5000 ft.—DISTRIB. Siam, Java, Borneo, China, Japan, Turkestan 
(often cultivated). E . 
A branching annual, 3-10 ft.; branches hollow. . Leaves G-9 by 2-5 in., grey with 
hairs; nerves very numerous; petiole 1—4 in.; stipules short, hirsute, truncate, 
mouth membranous or dilated herbaceous and recurved. Racemes 3-5 in., on long 
stout strict peduncles and pedicels, erect or cernuous; bracts crowded strigosely 
tomentose and ciliate; flowers large, white red or green. Stamens 7-8, included. 
Styles connate below, stigmas capitellate. Nuts $ in. diam., orbicular, flattened with 
rounded margins and rather concave faces, black, shiny, pericarp very thick. Coty- 
ledons incumbent,—Roxburgh remarks that the ends of the branches when moistened 
become thickly glutinous. . 
Var. glabrata; very sparsely pubescent or glabrate, petiole narrowly winged.— 
Kashmir, Thomson ; Saharunpore Bot. Garden, Royle, Falconer.. 
Var. parvifolia; sparingly pubescent, leaves 2-33 in. elliptic acuminate membra- 
nous, petiole winged, stipules very short, mouth herbaceous. Wail. Cat. 1709/2 
(under P. tomentosum).—Silhet, De Silva.—I have seen no other specimen. A note 
on the specimen says the shoots are eaten and have a sour taste. 
13. P. tomentosum, Willd. Sp. PL. 11.447; stem simple very stout 
erect pubescent or glabrous, leaves 4-8 in. shortly petioled lanceolate 
finely acuminate silky beneath rarely glabrate, stipules strigose truncate . 
mouth erect with rigid bristles half their length or less, racemes stoutly 
peduncled panicled, bracts crowded hispid and ciliate.  JMeissn. in 
C. Prodr. xiv. 1. 194, excl. var. B; Rorb, Hort. Beng. 29, and FI. Ind. ii. 
287 ; Miguel Fl. Ind. Bat. i. 1006; Wall. Cat. 1709, excl. B, E, G, H, and 
part of D. P. orientale, Wall. Cat. 1710 C. P. ochreatum, Houtt. Pf. 
Syst. vi. 442, t. 49, f. 1. P. pulchrum, Blume Bijd. 530. 
In ditches, &c., from BENGAL, Assam and CACHAR, southwards to MALACCA; and 
from Bombay to MALABAR and CEYLON.—DISTRIB. Java, Philippines, Trop. and S. 
rica. . 
Stems one or more from a prostrate rooting annual stock, 2—4 ft., often as thick as 
the finger. eaves 1-1} in. diam., usually pubescent or subsilky above; petiole 
rarely à in.; stipules j-1 in., membranous. Racemes 2—4 in., always erect, strict ; 
bracts 6—8-fld.; flowers large, white. Stamens 7-8. Nut large, 3 in. diam., orbi- 
cular flattened with rounded margin and convex faces; pericarp very thick, crusta- 
ceous, black, shining; cotyledons incumbent.—This is apt to be confounded with 
P. barbatum. Meissner quotes Wall. Cat. 1708 A, and 1708 G, I, for this, but the 
first and last are certainly barbatum, and only one piece of G appears to be 
tomentosum, 
14. P. limbatum, Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 123; stem simple 
