Potygonum.] cxix. POLYGONACE^E. (J. D. Hooker.) 39 



non atriplicifolium, both from the number of Wallich's, which he quotes (1719), aud 

 from the length of the petiole (6-8 lines). Don's publication of Posumbu and Blmne's 

 of ccBspitosum are contemporaneous. 



36. P. Hydropiper, Linn. Boiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 1029 ; glabrous, 

 rather robust, stem erect or ascending branched, leaves subsessile or petioled 

 lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate glabrous or .with the costa scabrid beneath, 

 stipules glabrous or sparsely strigose very shortly ciliate, racemes filiform 

 decurved interrupted, bracts glabrous glandular or not mouth naked or 

 minutely ciliate, perianth very glandular pink, nut usually trigonous 

 opaque granulate. Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 109; FL. Dan. t. 1376; 

 Reichb. Ic. Crit. v. t. 494. P. mite, Wall. Cat. 1721 F, H. 



Plains and hills of INDIA, in wet places, from ASSAM, SILHET, CHITTAGON& 

 and BENGAL to N.W. INDIA; ascending the KHASIA MTS. to 5000 ft., and the 

 HIMALAYA to 7000 ft. HABEAS (coll. G. Thomson}. DISTRIB. Westward to 

 Europe and N. Africa, Temperate and Subtropical Asia, Java, N. America, 

 Australia. 



Annual, roots tufted or shortly creeping ; stems and branches rather stout, leafy, 

 12-18 in. high, always glabrous, often glandular, nodes often swollen. Leaves rarely 

 more than 3 in. long, very variable in width and in the length of the apex, usually 

 covered with impressed glands ; stipules glabrous, or with scattered erect appressed 

 hairs that are sunk in the tissue of the stipule. Racemes flexuous, leafy at the base ; 

 bracts variable as to ciliation, which is always short, usually broader than in P. 

 flaccidum\ perianth pinkish. Nut sometimes flat, finely granular. I cannot dis- 

 tinguish this from the European P. Hydropiper, though the cilia of the stipules are 

 often longer and the nut smaller. Hamilton in a note upon his specimen (under the 

 name of flaccidum), says that Roxburgh desired that it should bear the name of 

 Pani-maricha, i.e. water-pepper. The Eastern specimens have more commonly a 

 scabrid costa (which, however, varies in amount to total absence), and have more 

 often sunk hairs in the stipules. I find these latter in European specimens; in 

 which also I find occasional cilia on the bracts, but never a scabrid costa to the leaf. 

 It is the P. barbatum of Roxb., according to a specimen in Herb.Wallich, but not of 

 the " Flora Indica." Zollinger's No. 95 from Java is identical with the Indian plant. 

 The long cilia of the more glabrous stipules, shorter racemes and more crowded 

 flowers distinguish this from P. flaccidum. 



Var. ? eglandulosa ; perianth eglandular, nut compressed. Western Himalaya, 

 Edgeworth; Kunawur, Jamu and Ladak, Thomson. But for the more drooping 

 racemes and smaller pink flowers this would be P. mite, L., to which I was inclined 

 to refer it, but Mr. Baker regards it as a f orni of Hydropip&f. 



37. P. flaccidum^ Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 107, in party excl. 

 syn. (not of Roxburgh} ; glabrous or pubescent, stem erect or ascending 

 simple or branched, leaves usually petioled lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate 

 acuminate, stipules strigose or hirsute, cilia half as long as the tube or 

 longer, racemes very long filiform decurved, bracts" usually very distant 

 glabrous glandular, mouth ciliate, nut trigonous rarely compressed opaque 

 granulate. Boiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 1029, excl. syn. Donii. P. barbatum, 

 Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 289 (not of Willd.}. P. Posumbu, Thiuaites Enum. 245. 

 ? P. tenellum, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 289. P. Donii, Wight Ic. t. 1801. P. 

 mite?, Wall. Cat. 1721/2, 3, D, 1723/1 b, C. P. Bottleri, Roth Nov. PL 

 Sp. 205. P. rivulare, Herb. Self, (ex Meissn.). P. asperulum, Wall. 

 mss. P. Bisculatium, Herb. Ham. P. ciliatum, Ic. 



Common throughout INDIA in wet places, ascending the Himalaya to 4000 ft., 

 and extending to CEYLON and MALACCA. DISTEIB. Malay Archipelago. 



Usually a much taller, longer and larger leaved species than P. Hydropiper, and 

 differing in other characters indicated under that plant. 



Boot perennial ?, shortly creeping ; stems 2-3 ft. , usually erect and slender 



