Elatosiema,'] oxxxvi. ORTICACEJ;. (J. D. Hooker.) 573 



a. Receptacles all sessile. Male unknown in var. serpens. 



VAE. elegans; stem 2-8 in. slender glabrous or pubescent above, leaves few 

 membranous upper 1^2 in. from obliquely ovate to lanceolate serrate, base acute or 

 gibbous, lower leaves rounded obovate or cuneiform, small subopposite leaves various, 

 heads very small, iuvol. bracts rounded. Procris elegans, Wall. I. c. The commonest 

 form 



VAR. pinnatifida ; excessively slender 8-12 in. simple or more often divaricatingly 

 branched, leaves rather distant very membranous upper i-2 in. lanceolate pin- 

 natifidly cut base acute, lower leaves small obovate entire or crenate, small subopposite 

 leaves linear obovate or oblong, receptacles very small, invol. bracts rounded. Sikkim, 

 alt. 7-9000 ft. 



VAE. subincisa; stem 6-10 in. rather slender simple or branched, leaves more 

 coriaceous and less deeply cut than in var. pinnatifida, receptacles larger, inyol. 

 bracts acuminate. Sikkim, alt. 3-5000 ft. 



VAE. ciliata; stem short 4-6 in. very stout and leaves beneath sometimes 

 scurfily rusty -pubescent, leaves |-| in. fleshy rounded elliptic or cuneiform crenate 

 ciliate or not, uppermost sometimes larger and lanceolate, recepts very small fevv-fld., 

 invol. bracts rounded or acute. Nepal, Sikkim, alt. 6-8000 ft. 



VAR. rigidiuscula, Thwaites rass. ; quite glabrous, stem 4-8 in. simple slender or 

 stout, leaves | in, very many uniform spreading cuneately oblong or lanceolate 

 obtusely serrate or crenate towards the tip base acute, recepts very minute 2-3-fld., 

 invol. bracts few acute. Ceylon, on Adam's Peak, Thwaites. 



VAR. serpens; stem elongate prostrate glabrous flexuous, leaves in. uniform 

 oblong coarsely obtusely serrate above the middle base acute, fern, recepts small, 

 bracts as in var. zeylanica. Ceylon, Walker. Male recepts unknown. 



b. Male receptacles long-peduncled, 



VAR. pedunculosa ; stem 6-10 in. stout simple or branched, leaves membranous or 

 rattier coriaceous, upper 2-3 in. obliquely ovate or lanceolate coarsely serrate above 

 the middle, lower rounded cuneiform or obovate crenate, small opposite leaves some- 

 times -| in. long spreading or deflexed, male peduncles longer or shorter than the 

 leaves, 2 or more of the invol. bracts with long or short recurved beaks. Khasia 

 and Nilghiri Mts. 



VAR. cratsa ; stems short very stout and leaves fleshy, leaves as in var. 

 pedunculosa but smaller and imbricating upwards, small opposite leaves imbri- 

 cating downwards, peduncles of male longer than the leaves. Khasia Mts 

 pit. 4-6000 ft. 



VAR. zeylanica; habit and leaves of var. pedunculosa but invol. bracts more 

 numerous lanceolate acute, male shorter, fern, strongly ciliate. Ceylon, ascendin- to 

 6000 ft. 



ft Leaves short, broad, tips rounded or acute. (See also E. surculosum.) 



28. E. obtusum, Wedd. in Ann. Sc. Nat. Ser. 4, i. 190 ; Monogr. 324; 

 DC. Prodr. xvi. i. 187; stem slender creeping and rooting retrorsely 

 hirsute or scurfy, leaves ^^ in. sessile membranous uniform cuneately 

 obovoid or orbicular coarsely crenate above the middle glabrous or cilio- 

 late, tip rounded, base rounded or sernicordate, male recepts long- 

 peduncled few-tid., outer invol. bracts 2-3 ovate acute spurred or long- 

 cuspidate. 



TEMPERATE HIMALAYA; from Kumaon to Bhotan, alt. 7-10,000 ft., reaching 

 12,000 ft. in Sikkim. KHASIA HILLS, alt. 4-5COO ft., Griffith, Clarke. 



Stems 1-2 ft., flaccid, branched. Leases greenish, paler beneath, membranous, 

 cystoliths visible on the upper surface only, slender ; stipules lanceolate, acute. 

 Eecepts diojcious, ^ in. diam., of both sexes peduncled ; peduncle -i-1 in., filiform, 

 sparsely hispid ; invol. bracts few, broadly ovate, glabrous, narrowed into a slender 

 spur or horn; male fl. few, large, loii-g-pedicelled. 1 have seen no fern, recepts. 



