38 ;^ POLYGON ACE M. [ POLYGONUM. 



sparsely strigose with hairs that are sunk in the tissue, very shortly 

 ciliate or ecttiate. Racemes decurved, filiform, flexuous, leafy at the 

 base ; bracts more or less interrupted, glabrous, glandular or not ; 

 mouth naked or minutely ciliate. Perianth pink, very glandular. 

 Nutlets usually trigonous, opaque, granulate. 



In wet places, chiefly in the northern portion of the area, from Dehra 

 Dun and Rohilkhand eastwards. DISTRIB. : From Assam and Bengal 

 to the N. W. Frontier, ascending to 7,000 ft. on the Himalaya., 

 also on the Khasia Hills ; extending to Europe, N. Africa, Java, N. 

 America and Australia. The fresh plant contains an acrid juice, 

 which is used as a powerful diuretic. 



H. P. flaccidum, Meissn. in DC. Prod, xiv, 107 in part, excl, 

 syn. (not of Roxburgh) ; F. B. I. v, 39 ; Prain Beng. PI. 887 ; Gage 

 I. c. 402. P. tenellum. Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii, 289. 



A glabrous or pubescent annual or perennial. Root shortly creeping. 

 Stems 2-3 ft. high, slender, shortly creeping below, simple or branched. 

 Leaves usually stalked, 2-6 in. long, lanceolate or elliptic -lanceolate, 

 acuminate, quite glabrous except sometimes on the midrib and nerves 

 beneath, or strigosely hairy beneath or on both surfaces, more or less 

 glandular, brown when dry ; stipules strigose or hirsute, marginal 

 cilia half as long as the tube or longer. Racemes subpaniculate, some- 

 times 6 in. long and very slender ; bracts usually very distant, glab- 

 rous or more or less ciliate, glandular or not. Perianth bright-pink 

 or white (Roxburgh) closely glandular. Stamens 8. Nutlets smalU 

 trigonous, dull-black, minutely rugose. 



In wet ground, Upper Gangetic Plain (T. Thomson), Dehra Dun (King). 

 Flowers during the rainy season. DISTRIB. : Throughout India in 

 wet places, ascending to 6,000 ft. on the Kumaon Himalaya ; also in 

 Ceylon, Malay Pen. and Islands and China. 



12. P. Posumtm, Buch.-Ham. in Don. Prod. 71 (not of Wallich) * 

 F. B. I. v, 38 ; Gage, I. c. 425. 



A very slender flaccid perennial herb. Stems extensively creeping then 

 ascending or decumbent. Leaves petioled, membranous, 1-3 in. long, 

 elliptic -lanceolate, caudate-acuminate, glabrous or sparsely hairy ;, 

 stipules slightly strigose ; cilia stiff, longer than the tube. Racemes 

 erect, filiform, 1-3 in. or longer ; bracts minute, imbricate or distant, 

 very shortly ciliate. Perianth very small, eglandular. Nutlets 

 smooth and polished. 



