42 cxix. POLYGONACE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) \Polygonum. 



auricled at the base ; stipules glabrous or hairy, sometimes glandular, rarely ciliate. 

 Heads -f in. diam. ; peduncles short or long, always glandular-hairy above ; involu- 

 cral leaf often longer than the head, sessile, ovate-cordate, obtuse or acute. Sepals 

 white or pale purple, membranous, subequal, very variable in size. Stamens included. 

 Style long with one or two long arms and capitate stigmas. Nut varying in size in 

 the same head, closely invested with and cohering with the thin perianth-tube and 

 crowned with its lobes. I fail to discriminate between Meissner's P. perforation and 

 P. nepalense, and I have taken for both Hamilton's name of alatum as adopted by 

 Sprengel for his punctatum. The absolute character whereby these supposed species 

 were distinguished, that of the biconvex and trigonous nut, is accompanied by no 

 other, and I have taken typical nuts of both forms from one head of a Nilghiri specimen. 

 Meissner himself observes that his nepalense has sometimes trigonous nuts. The 

 character of glandular leaves again is most variable, and eglandular specimens are 

 far the most abundant. Of the following forms some may prove to belong to distinct 

 species, but I doubt it. 



P. alatum proper ; stems 1-2 ft., leaves large glandular or not, heads large, invol. 

 leaf large, bracts obtuse or subacute, nut trigonous. P. alatum, Spreng. 1. c. P. 

 punctatum, Ham. mss. Abundant. 



Var. nepalense ; stems 1-2 ft., leaves large glandular or not, heads large, invol. 

 leaf large, bracts obtuse or subacute, nut biconvex. P. nepalense, Meissn. Monog. 

 1. c. t. 7, f. 2 ; Wall. Cat. I. c. P. guttuliferum, Miq. PL Hohenack., No. 968 (leaves 

 glandular) . Abundant. 



Var. parviflora ; stem 1-2 ft. slender, leaves about 1 in., heads small on more 

 slender peduncles, bracts acute, lower recurved, nut trigonous. P. perforatum, Meissn. 

 I. c. excl. 7. ; Wall. Cat. 1700. Common, also in Ceylon (nuts flat). 



Var. arenaria ; smaller, diffusely branched, stem elongate prostrate with ascend- 

 ing flowering branches, leaves ^-1 in. narrower eglandular, petiole shorter, heads large, 

 invol. leaf very small, bracts obtuse, fruiting perianth with a median rib on each 

 face, nut biconvex. Sikkim, sands of the River Rungeet, &c., Clarice, Treutler. 



Var. Metziana ; small, diffusely branched from the base, branches very slender 

 prostrate and ascending, leaves broad |-1 in. long glandular or not, petiole short, 

 heads small, peduncles very slender, invol. leaf large or small, bracts acute, nut tri- 

 gonous or biconvex. P. Metzianum, Miq. in Herb. Hohenack., No. 610. Specimens 

 with 3-gonous nuts are from Sikkim and the Khasia Mts., at 5000 ft. 5 Kumaon and 

 Dalhousie, 7000 ft. ; and with flat nuts from Parusnath, the Khasia Mts., Canara, 

 the Nilghiri Mts. and Ceylon, all at above 4000 ft. 



Var. rigidula ; dwarf, nearly glabrous, stem 2-3 in. strict erect subsimple or 

 dichotomously branched, leaves - in. acute eglandular, petiole short, heads small 

 (large for the size of the plant), invol. leaf large or small, bracts acute or acuminate, 

 flowers purple-red, nut biconvex. Kunawur, Grant-, Sikkim, alt. 7300ft., Clarke. 

 Very like small specimens of P. humile. 



Var. tenuicaulis ; very slender, diffusely branched, quite glabrous except the tips 

 of the peduncles, leaves |-| in. very narrow acuminate glandular, heads very small, 

 peduncles capillary, bracts acuminate recurved, nut trigonous. Khasia Mts., alt. 

 4-5000 ft., J. D. H. $ T. T., Clarice. 



_42. P. microcephalum, Don Prodr. 72; glabrous or sparsely 

 hairy, stem rigid tall erect or decumbent below angled and grooved, leaves 

 3-5 in. hastately ovate-lanceolate or -oblong acuminate abruptly narrowed 

 into the long winged petiole, stipules truncate often ciliate, heads small, 

 peduncle filiform quite glabrous, involucral leaf 0, bracts oblong obtuse 

 more or less ciliate, nut 3-gonous granulate. Meissn. Monog. Polyg. 82, 

 in Wall. PI. 'As. Bar. iii. 59, and in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 129. P. statici- 

 florum, Wall. Cat. 1704, excl. D. P. strigosum, Herb. Ham. ; Wall. Cat. 

 1732, under P. Wallichii. ? P. ciliaturn, Ham. in Don Prodr. 73. 



TEMPEEATE HIMALAYA ; Nepal, Wallich ; SIKKIM, alt. 4-5000 ft., J. D. H. 

 KHASIA MTS. and SILHET, alt. 0-4000 ft. 



Root slender, perennial, woody ; stem 2-3 ft., often decumbent and rooting below 

 at the nodes, glabrous or subhispid above. Leaves membranous, eglandular, ciliolate, 



