200 Lmnccan Society, 



leaves and mode of inflorescence, 8 herbaceous sepals, 24 strap- 

 shaped petals, plane with no fovea at the clavi^, and solitary trans- 

 versely attached ovula, being neither pendulous nor erect. It forms 

 a transition from Adonis to the Ranunculece. This is another 

 blank filled up in the desiderata so pointedly mentioned by you. I 

 have called the genus Chrysocyathus. It grows intermixed with 

 Trollius, ' inter nives deliquescentes,' and till I examined it I took it 

 for a Trollius. I have got a new species of Adoxa, forming I believe 

 the second of the genus, A. inodora (mihi), a larger plant than 

 the A. Moschatellina, and with the lateral flower 12-androus, and 

 6 segments in the flowers. I have also a new JSpimedium, a large 

 handsome leaved herb, E. hydaspidis (mihi), and two species oi Al- 

 chemilla. Fritillaria imperialis, the Crown Imperial of English gardens, 

 grows wild in the lofty shady forests of Cashmeer. The Cashmerees 

 regard it to be unlucky, and grow it only near musjids and over graves. 

 Father gilla involucrata (mihi), belonging to the Hamamelidece, exists 

 in vast abundance in Cashmeer, forming whole tracts of low jungle ; 

 — strange that it should not have been brought before either to you 

 or to me. It occupies the place that the hazel {Corylus Avellana) 

 does in England, and at a little distance does not look unlike it. 

 Thus, Hamamelidece are found at opposite ends of the Himalaya 

 range, Bucklandia and Sedgwickia in Assam, and Fothergilla in Cash- 

 meer, but none of the family have yet been met with in the interme- 

 diate tracts. Prangos pabularia I have found in vast abundance in 

 several directions, but the Cashmerees do not know it for any useful 

 purpose, except as a plant highly prized by Europeans. They some- 

 times use the roots to destroy worms, by steeping them in Dhaun 

 fields as Calamus (butch) is used in Hindoostan. The Umhelliferce 

 have not come into fruit yet, so I do not know much of my new ac- 

 quisitions, but I have got among others a species of Turgenia, a genus 

 which I believe is new to the Himalayas. My brother wrote me 

 that you were inquiring about Koot and Amomum. Koot is ex- 

 ported from Cashmere : it is a plant of the natural family of Compo- 

 site, which has not yet come into flower, but I shall let you know 

 about it hereafter. Amomum, Humama, or Amamoon, is not known 

 in Cashmeer nor to be had at the Piensarees. I have got a magni- 

 ficent species of Ornithogallum ?, with a scape 7 feet high : the Cash- 

 merees call it Prustereen, and prize it highly as a culinary vegetable. 

 I have had Dodoncea brought to me from above Jummos in the heart 

 of the hills, growing along the banks of the Chenab. I mentioned 

 to you in a former letter some of the anomalies I had met with in 

 the absence of forms common elsewhere ; not an oak, noi Andromeda, 



