294 CLIV. DIOSCOREACER. (J. D. Hooker.) [ Dioscorea. 
cordate 7-nerved margin cartilaginous, male spikes short dense-fd. 
spreading, pistillode large globose. D. spinosa, Wall. Cat. 5103 G, H. 
TROPICAL HIMALAYA; from Nepal, Wallich, to Bhotan (Kew distrib. 5548). 
ASSAM, SILHET, CACHAR, BENGAL, CHOTA NAGPORE. 
Tubers columnar (Rozb.), Leaves 3-5 by 2-5 in., rather thick, nerves strong 
beneath, nervules transverse; petiole 13-3 in. Male panicles stout; spikes 
crowded, densely tomentose; flowers ji; in. diam. ; sepals and petals very broad ; 
anthers large. Capsule 3-14 in. diam., cordate at the top and base. Seed 
orbicular. 
19. D. polyclades, Hook. f.; stens slender and leaves beneath 
and inflorescence tomentosely pubescent, leaves opposite and alternate 
orbieular-or ovate-cordate apiculate 5-costate, male spikes i-l in. 5-6 
nately whorled in long panicles, flowers minute crowded. D. nummularia, 
Kunth Enum. vi. 986 (excl. syn.) ; Moritz Syst. Verz. Zolling. Pftanz. 92 
(not of Lamk.). 
SINGAPORE, Ridley.—DistTr1B. Java. 
Stem terete. Leaves 3—4 by 2-2} in., orbicular-cordate in the Singapore plant, 
ovate-cordate in the Javan, opaqne above, brown when dry, softly finely tomentose 
and laxly reticulate beneath; petiole 1-14 in., slender. Male panicles 6-10 in., 
terminal compound ; whorls of spikes very numerous, sessile or shortly pedicelled ; 
flower-buds A in. diam.; sepals orbicular; petals ovate.—A very distinct species 
referred to D. nummularia, Lamk., by Moritz, but clearly not the plant figured by 
Rumph., on which Lamk. founded that species, and which is described as having 
intensely green glabrous shining leaves, and be Blume (Enum. Plant. Jav. 22) 3$ 
having leaves glaucous beneath, The Singapore plant is I think certainly Zollinger’s 
No. 283 from Java, though the leaves are more rounded. 
20. D. glabra, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 804; quite glabrous, leaves opposite 
long-petioled orbicular ovate-oblong or hastate strongly 7-9-nerved an 
reticulate margins not cartilaginous, sub-glaucous beneath, base cordate 
or deeply 2-lobed, male spikes short spreading, sepals ovate-oblong, petals 
cuneately obovate, pistillode minute. Kunth Enum. v. 383; Wall. Cat. 
5105 A, F, I, K. D. sagittata, Royle mss. (not of Poiret). D. crepitans, 
Herb. Ham. 
SUBTROPICAL HIMALAYA, alt. 3-5000 ft., from Simla to Sikkim, and southwards 
to BENGAL, BEHAR, the Concan, BURMA and the MALAY PENINSULA. b 
Stems stout, somewhat flattened (Roxb.). Leaves extremely variable, 3-8 : 
1-4} in., caudate-acuminate, youngest acute at the base, older truncate, OT deep 
cordate, lobes sometimes 1 in. incurved and overlapping; margin not thickened 0 
cartilaginous; petiole 1-33 in. Male spikes 1 in., rarely more; flowers scattered 
rather large, globosely 8-lobed, often coarsely dotted. Capsule 14 in. diam» very 
variable in shape, subquadrate broadly obcuneate or obcordate, retuse at the tip aD 
base, valves very thin. Seeds irregularly orbicular. 
21. D. gibbiflora, Hook. f.; quite glabrous, very slender, leave 
opposite, ovate or oblong acuminate 5-nerved, base cordate o. ‘ 
hastate, male spikes very short slender spreading in very slender pame Se 
flowers minute gibbous at the base, stamens very short, pistillode obscur"? 
D. glabra, Wall. Cat. 5105 B, in part. 
PENANG, Wallich. Janine; 
Branches terete. Leaves 3-4 by 141-2 in., not margined, nervules indistin¢ d 
petiole j-1 in. Male spikes } in., rachis very slender; flowers Je in. diam., sess" 
with a boss at the broad base on the side opposite to the bracts. 
