Polyyonum.] cxix. POLYGONACBJE. (J. D. Hooker.) 31 



very stout erect, leaves 4-8 in. shortly petioled lanceolate acuminate scabe- 

 rulous on both surfaces, stipules strigose truncate mouth with a spreading 

 or recurved herbaceous scabrid [ciliate limb, racemes stoutly peduncled 

 panicled, bracts crowded hispid. JSoiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 1031. 



BENGAL ; in the Jheels, J. Z>. H. $ T. T. ; Maldah, Clarice. UPPER GAXOETIC 

 PLAIX, Thomson. GAEWHAL, Edgeivorth. CONCAN, Law. DISTBIB. Egypt, 

 Trop. Africa. 



Habit, inflorescence and nut of P. tomentosum, but the leaves in all the specimens 

 are minutely scabrid on both surfaces, and the stipules have constantly a herbaceous 

 limb. Fruit and pericarp as in P. tomentosum, and cotyledons incumbent. 



Sect. V. TOVARA, A. Gray. A tall herb with perennial root. Leaves 

 broad ; stipules tubular. Flowers in a very slender raceme ; bracts tubular. 

 Perianth 4-partite. Stamens 5, alternating with glands. Styles 2, long, 

 rigid, hooked, persistent, stigmas simple. Nut flattened; cotyledons 

 accumbent. 



15. P. virginianum, Linn. ; Meissn. Monog. Polyg. 81, t. 1 I, 

 f. 27-29, t. 3 N, and in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1.112; sparsely hispid, leaves 

 4-10 in. short-petioled elliptic or elliptic -lanceolate, stipules short hispid, 

 racemes 6-16 in., bracts distant 2-fld. P. filiforme, Thunl. Fl. Jap. 163 ; 

 Meissn. Monog. 75, and in DC. 1. c. P. muticum, Mcench Suppl. 266. 

 Persicaria virginiana, G-certn. Fruct. ii. t. 119, f. 3. 



TEMPERATE HIMALAYA, very rare, Falconer; Kashmir, on the Jhelum River, 

 alt. 2-400Q ft., and Pir Panjal, alt. 7-10,500 ft., Stewart; Sikkim, on the Balesun 

 River, alt. 7-8000 ft., King. DISTEIB. China, Japan, Eastern United States. 



Stem 5 ft. and upwards, branches hollow. Leaves, thin, base acute, nerves many, 

 slender; petiole -1 in.; stipules ^-^ in., mouth truncate and ciliate. Racemes 

 long-peduncled, very long and slender ; bracts ciliate, -1 -in. apart ; bracteoles 

 narrow, hyaline ; pedicels % in., rigid, stout in fruit. Perianth eglandular, thin. 

 Fruit ellipsoid, flattened, pale brown, as long as the persistent styles. The long 

 hooked persistent style free to the base, serving to attach the fruit to foreign bodies^ 

 is unique in the genus, and indicates that the species should form a separate section 

 (it is singular that though provided with so obvious a means of transport the species 

 should be so rare in India). I find no difference between the Himalayan and East 

 American plants; the W. Asiatic and some American have shorter and blunter leaves. 

 The Sikkim specimen has leaves sparsely strigillose on both surfaces, as in some 

 American ones, others of both countries are nearly glabrous. 



Sect. YI. BISTORTA, Tourn. Perennial eglandular herbs, erect with 

 simple stems from a woody rootstock, or with branching prostrate stems 

 and erect leafy scapes. Leaves broad or narrow ; stipules tubular, eciliate. 

 Flowers in spiciform racemes, eglandular ; bracts membranous, ovate or 

 lanceolate, open not tubular nor truncate. Perianth 4-5-partite, not enlarged 

 in fruit. Stamens 4-10. Styles 2-3, long, slender, free ; stigma simple. 

 Nut trigonous or biconvex ; cotyledons accumbent. 



* Stem solitary, simple, erect from a woody rootstocJc. 



16. P. viviparum, Linn. ; Boiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 2027 ; root-leaves 

 long-petioled linear or linear-oblong acute or obtuse crennlate base acute 

 obtuse or cordate, spikes solitary erect slender, flowers suberect pink, the 

 lower replaced by bulbils. Meissn. in Wall. PI. As. Bar. iii. 53, and in 

 DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 124 ; Fl. Dan. t. 13. P. angustifolium, Don Prodr. 70. 

 P. bracteatum, Spreng. Cur. post. 154. P. bulbiferum, Ro-yle w.w. ; Bau. 

 in Trans. Linn. Soc. xviii. 94; Meissn. in DC. 1. c. 125. P. aifine, 



