32 POLYGON ACE M. [POLYGONUM. 



He draws attention also to the fact that, apart from morphological con- 

 siderations, the altitudinal distribution of the constituents, as given 

 in his census, tends to support this -view. Of the eight varieties 

 therein mentioned, and which may be regarded for the present as 

 belonging to a single species, all except polyneura appear to have 

 been recorded as growing within the limits of this flora. The des- 

 criptions are mainly Hooker's, taken from the Fl. Brit. India. 



VAR. 1. PLEBEJTJM (proper). -Branches stout or slender. Lower in 

 ternodes often longer than the leaves, upper shorter or very short. 

 Leaves J-Jin. long ; upper often much shorter, oblong or linear, 

 obtuse, margins often recurved. Flowers sunk amongst the stipules,, 

 rarely exserted. Sepals short, broad, rounded. Dehra Dun, Luck- 

 now, Bundelkhand. DISTRIB. Common from Assam to N. W. 

 India and on the outer Himalayan ranges ; found also in N. Kanara^ 

 and extending to Africa and Australia. 



VAR. 2. EFFUSA. A slender rather flaccid plant with long inter- 

 nodes. Leaves narrowly linear or widening upwards from a very 

 narrow base, tip rounded. Floivers all or mostly pedicelled. 

 Sepals short, broad. -Dehra Dun (King), N. W. India (Royle), 

 Merwara (Duthie). DISTRIB.: Bengal to Bombay and Sind. P. 

 effusum, Meissn. Herb. Strach. and Winterb. No. 22. Usually in 

 wet places. 



VAR. 3. ELEGANS. Black when dry. Branches stout, grooved, smooth 

 or scaberulous ; internodes longer or shorter than the leaves. Leaves 

 J-^ in. long ; upper as long as the lower, linear-lanceolate, acute or 

 acuminate, rarely obtuse, margins flat or re volute ; stipules flmbriate, 

 brownish. Flowers sessile or shortly pedicelled. Sepals narrow, the 

 two outer acute. Sub-Himalayan tracts of Rohilkhand and N. Oudh 

 (Wallich, Duthie), Saugor (Vicary). DISTRIB.: Bengal, Nepal, Assam 

 and Tenasserim, extending to Australia. P. elegans, Roxb.; Fl. 

 Ind. ii, 291. Hooker describes this as a large form passing into 

 plebejum (proper) by insensible transitions. It is also P. prostratum 

 of Roxb. I.e. 



VAR. 4. MICRANTHEMA. A small plant with slender branches. Leaves 

 J-J in. long, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse at the apex and narrowed 

 towards the base ; upper crowded, as long as the often distant lower, 

 stipules short. Floivers very minute, pedicelled, crowded in the 

 upper axils. Sepals narrow, obtuse. Nutlets minute, ^-^ in. in 

 diam. Dehra Dun (King), Siwalik range and N. Oudh (Duthie). 

 DISTRIB.: Bengal in sandy river beds, also in Sind. Hooker regards 

 this as only a small state of P. plebejum, into which it passes by in. 



