NAPELLUS. 145 
Roots biennial, paired, tuberous ; daughter-tuber ovoid to shortly fusiform, 0-75—1:8 em. 
long, 4—6 mm. thick, bearing few fine root-fibres, breaking off easily, bark very 
thin, whitish to brown, smooth, fracture pure white, slightly sweetish, not followed by 
any tingling sensation, more or less farinaceous, cambium continuous, forming a central 
strand, circular or elliptic in cross-section; mother-tuber shrunk, grooved and wrinkled 
brownish internally. ^ Zmnovation-bud conical, up to 5 mm. long. Stem erect or Бой: 
ing from a slender, short or long (up to 6 em.) hypogzeous base, simple or very rarely 
branched below, slender, crispo-pubescent to tomentose above, glabrous below, rarely 
quite glabrous, epigseous part (including the flowers ) 10—30 cm. high. Leaves very few 
(1 or 2), if any, on the hypogeous stem, often much reduced or withered at the time 
of flowering, then 3—5 (rarely more) more or less crowded at the base of the epigaeous 
part of the stem, coétaneovs with the flowers, somewhat fleshy, glabrous or ver 
sparingly pubescent, usually 1 or 2 higher up on the stem, often much reduced ; sh 
except the uppermest on long (3:5—12 cm.) slender petioles, widened at the base loue: 
blades orbicular-cordate or reniform in outline, with a wide or narrow sinus (1—9-5 
em, deep) 1:5—3 cm. high from the sinus to the top, 2:5—5 em. across, 5-palmati- or 
subpedati-partite almost to the base, divisions very broad, obovate-cuneate, deeply 3. 
(оу the outermost 2-) partite, secondary divisions laciniate, laciniae linear, acute or very 
acute, more or jess divaricate, rarely shorter subacute and more approximate ; upper 
cauline leaves similar to the preceding, but smaller to very small, shortly petioled or 
subsessile, more sparingly dissected. Inflorescence a short, lax ór dense few-flowered 
raceme or corymb or reduced to a solitary flower, sometimes with additional 1-28. 
flowered branches springing from the cauline or basal leaves, and almost as long as 
the main-rhachis, greyish-pubescent to fulvo-tomentose, rarely quite glabrous, rhachis | 
slender, sometimes very short; bracts like the uppermost leaves, or still more reduced ; 
bracteoles, if any, linear to filiform, entire; pedicels slender, lower ones 1%--5 cm, long, 
erect, indumentum more spreading and denser in the upper part. Sepals violet, blue or 
yellowish and variegated with blue, pubescent; uppermost helmet-shaped or almost 
navicular, obliquely erect, somewhat depressed, shortly  rostrate, 14—90 mm, high, 
18—24 mm. long from the tip to the base, 7—10 mm. wide (seen from the side) at or 
above the middle ; lateral sepals contiguous with the uppermost, very oblique, broadly 
obovate, scarcely clawed, about 14—16 mm. long, 12 —14 mm. broad, lower sepais deflexed, 
elliptic, obtuse or subacute, about 12 mm. long. Necturies extinguisher-shaped, glabrous, 
claw erect, leaning forward in the upper part, 15—18 mm. long, hood more or less 
oblique, short, wide, very obtuse, gibbous on the back near the top; lip broad, truncate, 
crenulate, more or less recurved, honey-gland in the posticoas gibbosity. Filaments 
finely aud rigidly hairy in the upper part, winged below, wings gradually or abruptly 
attenuated or running out into minute teeth, 5—7 mm. long. Carpels 5, conniving, con- 
tiguous, oblong, somewhat abruptly or gradually contracted into the style, densely 
tomentose. Foll.cles oblong, truncate, erect, contiguous, 10—19 mm. long, densely hairy, 
Seeds 3-sided, obpyramidal or ellipsoid, 2°5—3 шш. long, angles winged, wings hollow, 
faces smooth. : : 
DISTRIBUTION: Alpine zone of the Himalaya from Gilgit to Kumaon, between 10,000 апа 
15,000 ft. е | 
Опо: Astor, Falconer Kew Distr. 71! partly (Hb. Kew).—BALTISTAN: Deosai 
plain, Falconer Kew Distr. 71! partly (Hb. Kew); “Tugchum to near Cootal,” Falconer 
