288 CLIII. TACCACBJ!. (J. D. Hooker.) [Tarca. 



inner largest broadly oblong. Roxb. Cor. PI. t. 257. T. aspera, Roxb. 

 Fl. Ind. ii. 169. Atacca integrifolia, Presl Bel. Hasek. 149 ; Flvre des 

 Serres, t. 860, 861. 



SILHET, CHITTAGONG and TENASSERIM. 



RootstocJc oblong, curved. Leaves 8-16 by 4-8 in., acuminate, strongly nerved 

 and bullate j petiole shorter than the blade, and scape maroon-brown. Scape about 

 as long as the petiole, stout, recurved or bent to one side, few-fld. ; invol. spathes 

 unequal, twisted, dirty green with purple nerves ; outer 2-3 in., finely acuminate ; 

 inner longer, petioled, often vaulted over the at length drooping flowers. Perianth. 

 greenish -purple and yellow, or dirty lilac ; outer lobes subacute, rather shorter than the 

 obtuse inner ; mouth obscurely thickened and ridged, all at length reflexed. Ooary 

 turbinate, deeply grooved. Serry 1^ in., oblong, fleshy. 



4. T. laevis, Boxl. Fl, Ind. ii. 171 ; leaves entire elliptic- ovate petiole 

 and short recurved scape smooth, invol. leaves 4 subequal sessile ovate 

 acuminate, perianth-lobes spreading acute 3 inner largest and broadest. 

 Grah. Cat. Bomb. PL 230. Kuntli Eniim. v. 466. T. integrifolia, Herb. 

 Ham. 



BHOTAN HIMALAYA, Griffith. SILHET, Roxburgh, CHITTAGONG, HUNNIPORE, 

 and TENASSEEIM, S. CONCAN, Nimmo. DISTKIB. Tonkin, Java. 



Sootstook subcylindric. Leaves 12-16 by 5-6 in., acuminate j petiole as long 

 as the blade. Scape shorter than the petiole, greenish-purple, more or less re- 

 curved, 6-12-fld. ; invol. leaves 2 by 1 in., finely acuminate, many-nerved; bracts 

 numerous filiform. Flowers pedicelled, blueish, greenish-grey or violet ; perianth 

 f-1 in. diam.; outer lobes acute. 



ORDER OLIY. DXOSCOREACBJE. 



Rootstocfc various. Stem climbing, branched, rarely short erect. 

 Leaves entire lobed or digitately3-5-foliolate, costate and reticulate, petiole 

 often angular and twisted at the base. Flowers small or minute, panicled 

 racemose or spicate, rarely bisexual. Perianth superior, 6-cleft. Male fl. 

 tubular or urceolate, lobes short, spreading. Stamens inserted at the base 

 of the perianth, or on its lobes 3, 6, or 3 perfect and 3 staminodes, filaments 

 incurved or recurved, anthers small, globose, oblong or didymous, or with 

 the cells on branches of the filament. Pistillode various or 0. Fern. fl. Peri- 

 anth of the male, but smaller. Staminodes 3, 6 or 0. Ovary 3-quetrous, 

 3-celled ; styles 3, very short, stigmas entire or 2-fid recurved ; ovules 2 

 superposed in each cell, pendulous, anatropous or subamphitropous. Fruit 

 a berry or 3-valved capsule. Seeds flat or globose ; embryo small, included 

 in the hard albumen. G-enera 8, species about 160. 



Climbers, flowers unisexual, capsule 3- winged . . . 1. DIOSCOREA. 

 Stem erect, 1-leaved, flowers bisexual, fruit indehiscent . 2. TRICHOPUS. 



1. DIOSCOREA, Linn. 



Fruit capsular. Species 150, tropical and subtropical. 



The species of Dio scored are in a state of indescribable confusion, and I cannot 

 hope to have escaped errors in the determination and delimitation of the Indian ones, 

 to which I have devoted much labour. The Roxburghiah food-yielding species are 

 ^for the most part indeterminable, and except through a knowledge of them as culti- 

 vated in India they cannot be understood. No doubt some of the species described 



