46 cxix. POLTGOXACE.E. (J. I). Hooker.) [Polygonum. 



Perennial?. Stems creeping and often tufted at the base,. above rambling over 

 bushes, sometimes quite smooth even at the nodes. Leaves 1-2 in., membranous, some- 

 times sparsely hairy beneath, ciliolate or not, midrib beneath smooth or scabrid; 

 petiole very slender, smooth or scabrid ; stipules truncate, base naked or with a ring 

 of reversed prickles. Spikes ^-1 in. long, on almost capillary peduncles; flowers 

 distant in Himalayan specimens, closer in Khasian ; bracts ovate or lanceolate, hispid 

 and ciliate or glabrate. Perianth white or pink. Stamens 5 or 6. Styles very 

 slender, connate below. Nut ovoid, with acute angles, pale, smooth, shining. 

 Wallich' s Nepal specimens have the spikes and bracts densely glandular-pubescent 

 or glabrate, and partially exserted nuts. Sikkim ones have perfectly smooth and 

 glabrous stems, stipules, spikes and bracts, eciliate stipules, and smaller flowers with 

 subacute sepals much shorter than the nut ; they may form a different species. 

 Khasian ones have subcapitate densely glandular-pubescent spikes, and nuts 

 closely wrapped in the perianth, the segments of which are obtuse as in the Nepal 

 specimens. 



50. P. arifolium, Linn.; Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 134; stem 

 very slender flaccid smooth or angles retrorsely scabrid, leaves long-petioled 

 broadly hastate acuminate basal lobes spreading acute, stipules very short 

 hispid and ciliolate, peduncles glandular-hispid, heads small few-fld., involu- 

 cral leaves 1-2 linear, bracts small hispid, nuts broadly trigonous exserted. 

 Polyg. n. 53, Herb. Ind. Or. H. f. &f T. 



SIKKIM HIMALAYA; Dikeeling, alt. 7000 ft., Clarke. KHASIA MTS., in woods, 

 alt. 5000 ft., J. D. H. ty T. T. DISTEIB. N. America. 



Stems 2-3 ft., weak. Leaves 2-3 in., membranous, ciliolate, glabrous, or sparsely 

 setose on the nerves beneath and on one or both surfaces, base truncate; petiole nearly as 

 long as the blade, very slender, smooth or scabrid; stipules in. long, lax, base naked 

 or with a few retrorse hairs. Heads small, very few-fld., on strict forked peduncles, 

 usually subtended by one or two narrow spreading ciliate invol. leaves ; bracts very 

 small, lanceolate, acute, ciliate ; flowers small. Perianth 5-cleft. Stamens 5. Styles 

 very slender, connate below. Nut ovoid, acutely 3-gonous, acute, pale, shining. 

 This is a slender form of the American plant quite like some Pennsylvanian speci- 

 mens. Flowers and ripe fruits are formed on short stolons from the creeping base of 

 the stem. 



** Nut included in the perianth. 



51. P. perfoliatum, Linn. ; Meissn. in DC. Prodr. xiv. 1. 132 ; stem 

 rambling or climbing, flexuous angles and petioles with stout recurved 

 prickles, leaves very long-petioled peltate deltoid angles obtuse or subacute, 

 stipules foliaceous orbicular .amplexicaul, peduncles smooth or sparingly 

 prickly, racemes solitary short, bracts broad rounded glabrous, nut globose 

 obscurely 3-gonous. Eoxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 288 ; Wall. Cat. 1696 ; Lamk. III. 

 t. 315, f. 3; Burm. Fl. Ind. 90, t. 31, f. 2. Echinocaulos perfoliatus, 

 HassJc. Cat. Sort. Bog or. 85, and PI. Ear. Jav. 220. Chilocalyx perfo- 

 liatus, Hassle, in Flor. Bot. Zeit. 1842, Beibl. ii. 20 ; Miquel Fl. Ind. Bat. 

 i. 1013. 



CENTEAL and EASTEEN HIMALAYA; Nepal, Wallich ; Sikkim, alt. 4-5000 ft., 

 J. D. H. ; Bhotan, Sooth. KHASIA MTS., alt. 4000 ft., J. D. H. $ T. T. BENGAL, 

 in the Jheels, &c. SILHET, Wallich. CACHAE, Keenan. DISTEIB. Java, China, 

 Japan. 



Stem rambling for several feet. Leaves 2-5 in. long and broad, membranous, 

 midrib and nerves beneath sometimes prickly ; petiole slender, as long as the blade ; 

 stipules -1 in. diam. Peduncles very short : racemes |-| in.; bracts membranous ; 

 flowers white or lilac, large for the genus. Perianth-lobes rounded. Stamens 8. 

 Styles short, connate below. Nut large, black, apiculate, included in the often fleshy 

 perianth. Cotyledons very large, radicle short inflexed accumbent. Leaves acid, 

 eaten in Cachar, Keenan. 



