Marstlema. \ xcv. ASCLEPIADE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) 35 



A tall climber; stem stout, smooth, glabrous or finely pubescent, as are the 

 petioles, sometimes the leaves below, and cymes. Leaves 3-9 by 1-3 in., nerves 

 spreading, glandular above at the petiole ; petiole 1-2 in. Cymes short- or long- 

 peduncled, rounded and ^-1 in. diam. or elongate 3-6 in. long, thyrsoid, formed of 

 interrupted clusters ; pedicels short. Sepals ovate, pubescent. Corolla ~ in. long, 

 yellow, fleshy, glabrous externally; tube with deflexed hairs within. Follicles 3 in. 

 long, in. diam., narrowed at the base. Seeds narrowly ovoid, -f in. long. In tho 

 absence of any description or figure of the follicles, or of authentic specimens in fruit 

 of the Sumatran plant on which the genus was founded, I am in doubt whether this 

 or the following is the true M. tinctoria. The flowers are often deformed, very large, 

 and the column is often replaced by rudimentary leaves. Decaisne erroneously quotes 

 Kheede's Kada Kodi (Hort. Mai. ix. 72, t. 8) for this plant. 



2. IH. eriocarpa, Hook. /.; foliage of M. tinctoria, follicles shorter 

 broader turgid at the base softly villous with long spreading hairs, seeds 

 broadly ovate. 



SILHET, Herb. Wallich (Asclep. 145 A). ASSAM, Masters. 



Wallich on the ticket of his specimen (which has no Catalogue number) says of 

 this " Marsdenia, tinctoriae affinis, sed differt ; E. Sylhet, introd. in H.B. Calc. Feb. 

 1840." Brandis describes the pod of M. tinctoria as "covered with long soft hairs." 

 whence he probably has assumed that this is referable to M. tinctoria, and, if so, the 

 plant I have described under that name must be named afresh. A reference to 

 Marsden's Sumatran plant can alone solve the difficulty. 



SECT. II. MACROCENTRTJM. Flowers larger. Corolla subcarnpanulate ; tube 

 short, globose or subcylindric : lobes large, fleshy, spreading, and throat glabrous 

 or villous. Staminal column large, tilling the tube; coronal scales usually 

 large, often exceeding the anther-tip. 



* Stigma not extended beyond the anthers. 



3. IME. Roylei, Wight Contrib. 40 ; branches petioles leaves beneath 

 and cymes finely pubescent or tomentose, leaves ovate-cordate acuminate, 

 cymes corymbose, corolla-lobes pubescent without villous within, coronal scales 

 slender subulate far exceeding the short anther-tips. Brand. For. Fl. 333 ; 

 Dene, in DC. Prodr. viii. 615. 



EASTERN and WESTERN HIMALAYA; from Simla to Kumaon,. ascending to 5000 ft. 

 SIKKIM, alt. 4000 ft., Clarke. 



Leaves 3-6 by 2-4 in., often velvety beneath ; petiole 1^-2 in. Cymes l-l in. 

 diam. Corolla ^-^ in. diam. Stigma dome-shaped. Follicles turgid, 3 in. long 1-1 

 diam., straight, beaked, pericarp thick transversely rugose puberulous. Seeds in. 

 long. 



4. IMC. tenacissima, Wight fy Arn. Contrib. 41 ; branches petioles 

 leaves beneath and cymes velvety or tomentose, leaves broadly ovate base 

 cordately 2-lobed acuminate, corolla-lobes pubescent without glabrous within, 

 coronal scales coriaceous subulate hardly exceeding the ovate anther-tip. 

 Wight Ic. t. 590 ; Watt. Cat. 8176 ; Brand. For. Fl. 333 ; Kurz For. FL ii. 201 ; 

 Dene, in BC. Prodr. viii. 616. Asclepias tenacissima, Roxb. Cor. PL iii. 35, 

 t. 240, and FL Ind. ii. 31. A. tomentosa and A. echinata, Herb. Madr. Gym- 

 nema tenacissima, Spreng. Syst. i. 844. 



WESTERN HIMALAYA ; Kumaon, ascending to 4500 ft. NORTHERN OUDH, Thomson. 

 BENGAL; Kajmahal hills, Roxburgh. CHITTAOONO, Wallich. AVA, Kurz. CEYLON, 

 hotter parts of the Island, not common, Thwaites. DISTRIB. Timor (Miqucl}. 



Stem very stout. Leaves 4-7 by 3-5 in., often velvety above; petiole 2-3 in. 

 Cymes much corymbosely branched. Corolla |- in. diam. ; lobes oblong, ciliate 

 Stigma between conical and dome-shaped. Follicles 5-6 in. long by \\-2 in. diam., 



D2 



