Elatostema.'] cxxxvi. URTICACE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) 565 



A branching shrub, 2-6 ft. ; branches terete, lower woody. Leaves 1-3 in. broad, 

 pale greyish brown when dry, smooth, rarely with 1-2 teeth below the tip ; nerves 

 3-5 pairs, arched; petiole 1-2 in. in Assam specimens. Heads small, often lobed or 

 branched, male and fern, in the same or separate axils or plants. Achene minute, 

 turgidly ellipsoid, ribbed. Possibly a large state of E. .lineolatum. A specimen 

 from Assam has fern, recepts above and male below, the latter broken up into 

 sessile capitate branched ebracteate cymes. The female recepts are also some- 

 times divided. 



Var. tomentosa ; stem and leaves .beneath substrigosely or hirsutely tomentose. 

 Khasia Hills, alt. 3-5000 ft. 



6. E. lineolatum, Wiglit Ic. t. 1984; herbaceous or shrubby, leaves 

 1-6 in. subsessile oblong or oblong-lanceolate or narrowly linear-oblong or 

 cuneately obovate acuminate or caudate coarsely crenate toothed or serrate 

 above the middle, base always acute or cnneate, cystoliths very crowded 

 and conspicuous, recepts small pisiform solitary or crowded, invol. bracts 

 rounded often confluent. Wedd. Monogr. 312 ; DC. Prodr. xvi. i. 181. 

 Procris punctata, Wall. Cat. 4627 B. 



TROPICAL HIMALAYA ; from Kumaon eastwards to Bhotan and the Khasia Mts., 

 and southwards to TRAVANCORE. CEYLON, ascending to 5000 ft. 



It is impossible to frame a diagnostic character for this protean plant, whose forms 

 as recognized by Weddell to be conspecific, are as dissimilar as those of HJ. surcu- 

 losum. The inflorescence, flowers and invol. bracts and achenes are as \nsesquifolium. 

 The following are conspicuous varieties. 



VAR. major, Thwaites Enum. 260; Wedd. in DC. 1. c. 182; much branched, 

 glabrous or tomentose on the branches and leaves beneath especially on the nerves, 

 leaves 35 in. coarsely crenate or serrate above the middle. E. integrifolium, var. 

 semiserrata, Wedd. in .DC. I. c. 180. E. rupestre, var. ? Serb. Ind. Or. H.f. f T. 

 Himalaya, Khasia and Western Ghats. 



VAR. iutegrifolia ; leaves 3-7 in. falcately lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate gradually 

 caudate with one or a few coarse teeth towards the tip. E. cuspidatum, Wight Ic. 

 t. 2091, f. 1 (not 1983). -Khasia Mts., Nepal, Sikkim and ihe Concan. This in colour 

 and foliage seems to unite E, sesquifolium and lineolatum, and may be referred to 

 either. A specimen from the Concan has broader leaves with more spreading nerves, 

 and their base rounded on one side. 



VAR. Helferi; much branched, leaves 1-2 in. obliquely cuneate or oblong-cuneate 

 or -lanceolate gradually or suddenly caudate with 2-5 very large crenatures or teeth 

 above the middle on each side, recepts heads very small. Tenasserirn, Heifer (Keio 

 Distnb. 4503). 



VAR. petiolaris, Thwaites mss. ; leaves 5 in. linear-lanceolate narrowed into a 

 petiole |-| in. with 3-5 very large teeth above the middle on each side and a tail 

 1 in. long, cystoliths abundant beneath, absent above except al >ug the margin and 

 midrib. Ceylon, Thwaites (C.P. 3920) ; a very remarkable state. 



VAR. falcigera, Thwaites Enum. 260 ; very sleuder and much branched, leaves 

 2-5 in. narrowly falcate ly linear-lanceolate entire or with one or two large teeth on 

 each side. Ceylon. 



VAR. bidenfata ; slender, much branched, leaves f-lj in. lower half cuneately 

 obovate abruptly ending in two large teeth, between which rises an upper half which 

 is as long ligulate obtuse, smaller elliptic leaves occur lower on the branchlets. 

 Ceylon, Sir G. McKenzie ; Adams Peak, Thwaites (C.P. 456). A very singular form ; 

 in some specimens the 2 large teeth are replaced by 3 or 4 rounded ones. The lower 

 pair of nerves often end in the teeth. 



VAR. linearis, Thwaites Enum. 260 ; branches very slender, leaves 2-4 by - in. 

 linear obtuse quite entire or with 1-2 large teeth, nerves very obscure. Ceylon. 



VAR. tomentella ; small, leaves 1-3 in. falcately oblong-lanceolate pubescent on 

 both surfaces. Tenasserim, on Molyet, alt. 5000 ft., Gallatly. 



