1. PoLTaoNUM.] 111. POLYGONACES. 



In wet places extending along the foot of the Himalayas. Sikkim Tarai ! and 

 probably therefore in N. Champaran and Purneah. Santal Parg., Maddox ! Fl., 

 Fr. r.s. 



The ends of the branches when moistened become thickly glutinous. Boxh. 



3. P. limbatum, Meissn. 



Stems stout erect 2-4 ft, strigosely hairy and glabreseent unbranched. 

 Leaves 3-7" long, lanceolate acuminate, scaberulous or hispid on 

 both surfaces, base tapering, shortly petioled, sec. n. 7-12 fine. 

 Stipules loose, strigose, truncate with a spreading or reflexed scabrid 

 ciliate limb. Flowers white (always ?) in erect stoutly shortly 

 peduncled panicled racemes 2-4" long, •25--3" diam. Bracts obovate 

 crowded hispid •15-"2", 0-8-fld. Stamens 7-8. Nut orbicular, 

 •12" diam. flattened with rounded margins and convex faces, black, 

 shining. Cotyledons incumbent. 



Ponds and rice-fields. Purneah (probably ; it occurs in Maldah close by !). 

 Manbhum, Mihie, Clarke ! Fl. Oct.-June. 



The very stout stems and expanded or auricular herbaceous mouth of the 

 stipules are very characteristic; the indumentum easily distinguishes it from the 

 last, which also has sometimes a dilated stipular mouth. 



4. P. glabrum, Willd. Sauri-arac', S. 



A stout erect herb with the stems up to -S-'S" diam. and woody 

 below, strict, rather swollen at the nodes. Leaves lanceolate or linear 

 very tapering, dotted, glabrous, shining, mostly 3-5*5" long. Petiole 

 short with sheathing base and tubular stipules 1-1*3" long, neither 

 ciliate nor with excurrent nerves, truncate. Flowers pink in rather 

 dense panicled spiciform racemes 1*5-3" long, about 5-6 distinctly 

 pedicelled in the axils of the tubular truncate or oblique rounded, 

 glabrous bracts. Nut brown-black orbicular-ovoid compressed bi- 

 convex or rarely obtusely 3-cornered, polished. Cotjdedons accum- 

 bent. 



Common on the edges of tanks and water-courses, growing in mud. Purneah f 

 Gya, Cal. Herb.] Shahabad (Dumraon), Cal. Herb. I Ranch! ! Hazaribagh, 

 Clarke I Sant. Parg., Gamble\ Palamau ! Manbhum, Cami^.l Singbhum ! Fl. 

 Sept.-Dec. Fr. Nov.-Feb. 



Stems usually brown or reddish below. Leaves often attaining 6-5" by 1", 

 tapering at the base, quite glabrous, glands usually conspicuous, sometimes 

 obscure; sec. n. about 25 spreading slightlj' arcuate. Pedicels '1-'12" long, con- 

 spicuous after the fall of the flowers, with prominent articulation. Perianth 

 tubular-campanulate. -1" long, tepals elliptic concave, stamens 6-S (usually 7) often 

 slightly exsert. Style-arms 2 (presumably 3 in the verj- rare cases where 3-sided 

 nuts occur). 



Eaten as a sag. 



5. P. lanigerum, Br. Syn. P. lanatum, Roxb. 



Stems 2-5 ft. procumbent and rooting towards base, much branched, 

 with erect branches clothed with white cottony tomentum. Leaves 

 3-7" narrowly lanceolate acuminate, woolly or thickly cottony 

 beneath, tapering into a short petiole or sessile. Stipules short 

 truncate membranous, mouth unequal or lacerate, not ciliate. Fls. 

 small white or red dense in slender panicled racemes. 1-3*5" long on 

 cottony divaricate slender peduncles. Bracts very small, crowded, 

 glabrous or tomentose, not ciliate. Nut orbicular, much compressed, 

 small, brown or black, shining. 



