294 CLIV. DIOSCOREAOEJS. (J. D. Hooker.) \_Dioscorea. 



cordate 7-nerved margin cartilaginous, male spikes short dense-fld. 

 spreading, pistillode large globose. D. spinosa, Wall. Cat. 5103 G, H. 



TROPICAL HIMALAYA ; from Nepal, Wallich, to Bhotan (Kew distrib. 5548). 

 ASSAM, SILHET, CACHAR, BENGAL, CHOTA NAGPORE. 



Tubers columnar (Roxb.). Leaves 3-5 by 2-5 in., rather thick, nerves strong 



beneath, nervules transverse ; petiole 1^3 in. Male panicles stout ; spikes 

 crowded, densely tomentose ; flowers T \j in. diam. ; sepals and petals very broad ; 



anthers large. Capsule f-l in. diam., cordate at the top and base. Seed 

 orbicular. 



19. D- polyclades, Hook. f. sterns slender and leaves beneath 

 and inflorescence tomentosely pubescent, leaves opposite and alternate 

 orbicular-or ovate-cordate apiculate -5-costate, male spikes 2-1 in. 5-6 

 nately whorled in long panicles, flowers minute crowded. D. nummularia, 

 Kunth Enum. vi. 386 (excl. syn.} ; Moritz Syst. Verz. Zollhig. Pflan:':. 92 

 (not of Lamk.}. 



SINGAPORE, Ridley. DISTRIB. Java. 



Stem terete. Leaves 3-4 by 2-2 in., orbicular- cordate in the Singapore plant, 

 ovate-cordate in the Javan, opaque above, brown when dry, softly finely tomentose 

 aud laxly reticulate beneath; petiole 1-1 1 in., slender. Male panicles 6-10 in., 

 terminal compound ; whorls of spikes very numerous, sessile or shortly pedicelled ; 

 flower-buds -^ in. diam. ; sepals orbicular; petals ovate.- A very distinct species, 

 referred to D. nummularia, Lamk., by Moritz, but clearly not the plant figured by 

 Humph., on which Lamk. founded that species, and which is described as having 

 intensely green glabrous shining leaves, and by Blume (Enum. Plant. Jav. 22) as 

 having leaves glaucous beneath. The Singapore plant is I think certainly Zollinger's 

 No. 283 from Java, though the leaves are more rounded. 



20. D. glabra, Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 804 ; quite glabrous, leaves opposite 

 long-petioled orbicular ovate-oblong or hastate strongly 7-9-nerved and 

 reticulate margins not cartilaginous, sub-glaucous beneath, base cordate 

 or deeply 2-lobed, male spikes short spreading, sepals ovate- oblong, petals 

 cuneately obovate, pistillode minute. Kunth Enum. v. 383 ; Wall. Cat. 

 5105 A, F, I, K. D. sagittata, Eoyle mss. (not of Poiret). D. crepitans, 

 Herb. Ham. 



SUBTROPICAL HIMALAYA, alt. 3-5000 ft., from Simla to Sikkim, and southwards 

 to BENGAL, BEHIR, the CONCAN, BURMA and the MALAY PENINSULA. 



Stems stout, somewhat flattened (Roxb.). Leaves extremely variable, 3-8 by 

 1-4^ in., caudate-acuminate, youngest acute at the base, older truncate, or deeply 

 cordate, lobes sometimes 1 in. incurved and overlapping ; margin not thickened or 

 cartilaginous; petiole 1-3 2 in. Male spikes 1 in., rarely more; flowers scattered, 

 rather large, globosely 8-lobed, often coarsely dotted. Capsule ,!- in. diam., very 

 variable in shape, subquadrate broadly obcuneate or obcordate, retuse at the tip and 

 base, valves very thin. Seeds irregularly orbicular. 



21. D. gibbiflora? Hook. /. ; quite glabrous, very slender, leaves 

 opposite, ovate or oblong acuminate 5-nerved, base cordate or sub- 

 hastate, male spikes very short slender spreading in very slender panicles, 

 flowers minute gihbous at the base, stamens very short, pistillode obscure. 

 D. glabra, Watt. Cat. 5105 B, in part. 



PENANG, Wallich. 



Branches terete. Leaves 3-4 by 1^-2 in., not margined, nervules indistinct; 

 petiole \-l in. Male spikes % in., rachis very slender; flowers T V in. diam., sessile, 

 with a boss at the broad base on the side opposite to the bracts. 



