1888-89.] Country traversed by Afghan Commission. 431 



Afghanistan, from 3000 to 5000 feet, and in peculiar exposures 

 on the great arid plains and ridges, we find hummock-like 

 forms occurring similar to the peculiar South American 

 genus Bolax, which vary from the size of a football to small 

 mounds 12 feet across and 5 feet high. The plants here 

 taking this form are usually species of Acanthophyllum 

 belonging to the Caryophyllacese, Astragalus and Onohrychis 

 among Leguminosa^, and Acantholimon and Sfatice among 

 Plumbaginacese. These hummocks in many instances become 

 covered with the most lovely inflorescence, giving the appear- 

 ance of artificial bouquets of all sizes, and at the varied tints 

 and colourings of which one never tired gazing. Usually 

 the flowers are borne on peduncles raising them well above 

 the surface, but in two instances the spinous leaves protrude 

 beyond the flowers, and thus the latter are protected from 

 goats, those terrible exterminators of vegetation. 



On this expedition I collected in all some 800 species, 

 referable to 73 Natural Orders. 



Leguminosse and CompositiB headed the list, by each show- 

 ing 78 species ; and in Leguminosae there were no less than 

 38 species of Astragahts, of which some 14 were new to 

 science. Of these. Astragalus heratensis and an unnamed 

 species were found to yield a coarse tragacanth called Katira, 

 the origin of which, although credited to several plants in 

 India, has up to this time not been identified with the true 

 plant. The product is merely collected as it is found exuded 

 on the bushes, no special system being adopted for its collec- 

 tion. It occurs usually in wrinkled ribbon-shaped pieces, 

 from fractures in the bark through which it has escaped. It 

 is largely employed and exported in all directions for the 

 facing of cotton cloths and silks. Several of these Astragali 

 — A. Kahiricus, auganus, huchtormensis — have long, whip-like 

 roots, the bark of which is employed as twine by the people. 

 These roots are extracted in a very neat way, by attaching 

 a loop of twine to the crown, passing a stick through the 

 other end, and making it act as a lever. When I was in 

 the Kuram valley I heard of this plan, but never saw it 

 adopted until I came here. From Glycyrrhiza glabra the 

 extract liquorice is largely prepared for household use, as 

 well as for barter, in every nomad family. The great 



TRANS. BOT. SOC. VOL. XVII. 2 G 



