32 POLYGONACE. [ PoLyconum. 
He draws attention also to the fact that, apart from morphological con- 
siderations, the altitudinal distribution of the constituents, as given 
in his census, tends to support this view. Of the eight varieties 
therein mentioned, and which may be regarded for the present as 
belonging to a single species, all except polyneura appear to have 
been recorded as growing within the limits of this flora. The des- 
eriptions are mainly Hooker’s, taken from the Fl. Brit. India. 
Var. 1. PLEBHJUM (proper).—Branches stout or slender. Lower in- 
ternodes often longer than the leaves, upper shorter or very short. 
Leavesi-lin. long; upper cften much shorter, oblong or linear, 
obtuse, margins often recurved. Flowers sunk amongst the stipules,. 
rarely exserted. Sepals short, broad, rounded.—Dehra Dun, Luek- 
now, Bundelkhand. DisTrRis. Common from Assam to N. W. 
India and on the outer Himalayan ranges ; found also in N. Kanara. 
and extending to Africa and Australia. 
Var. 2. eFrusa.—A slender rather flaccid plant with long inter- 
nodes. Leaves narrowly linear or widening upwards from a very 
narrow base, tip rounded. flowers all or mostly pedicelled. 
Sepals short, broad.—Dehra Dun (King), N. W. India (Royle),. 
Merwara (Duthie). Distris.: Bengal to Bombay and Sind. P. 
effusum, Meissn. Herb. Strach. and Winterb. No. 22. Usually in 
wet places. 
VaR. 3. ELEGANS.—Black when dry. Branches stout, grooved, smooth 
or scaberulous ; internodes longer or shorter than the leaves. Leaves 
4-4 in. long ; upper as long as the lower, linear-lanceolate, acute or 
acuminate, rarely obtuse, margins flat or revolute ; stipules fimbriate, 
brownish. Flowers sessile or shortly pedicelled. Sepais narrow, the 
two outer acute.—Sub-Himalayan tracts of Rohilkhand and N. Oudh 
(Wallich, Duthie), Saugor (Vicary). Duisrris.: Bengal, Nepal, Assam 
and Tenasserim, extending to Australia. P. elegans, Roxb.; FI. 
Ind. ii, 291. Hooker describes this as a large form passing into 
plebejum (proper) by insensible transitions. It is also P. prostratum 
of Roxb. l.c. 
Var. 4. MICRANTHEMA.—A small plant with slender branches. Leaves: 
4-4 in. long, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse at the apex and narrowed 
towards the base ; upper crowded, as long as the often distant lower, 
stipules short. Flowers very minute, pedicelled, crowded in the 
upper axils. Sepals narrow, obtuse. Nutlets minute, 35-3); in. in 
diam.—Dehra Dun (King), Siwalik range and N. Oudh (Duthie). 
Distris.: Bengal in sandy river beds, also in Sind. Hooker regards. 
this as only a small state of P. plebejum, into which it passes by in 
\ 
