Plants of the Punjab. 



587 



Climbing Plants with Opposite Exstipulate Simple Leaves. 



Petals none. 



Ephedra 

 peduncularis, 



Kuchan, lastuk. 

 Gnetace^. 

 F. B.I. V. 641. 

 The Plains 

 we>t of the Jhelum. 

 The Salt Kange. 

 The Park, 

 Eawalpmcli. 



Dioscorea glabra, 

 Chinese yam, 



Dioscoreacb^. 



F. B. I. vi. 294. 



The Plains to 



5,000 ft. 



Valleys below Simla, 



Fifth Waterfall 



(Collett). 



Dioscorea sativa. 



perennial, male and female flowers on different plants, 

 jointed at the nodfS, producing long runners, often with 

 a bluish-gre n waxy gloss, brauchlet-- often in tufts and 

 thread-hke, sometimes roughish, slender : leave often want- 

 ing, consist of thread-hke and linear scales at the nodes ; 

 flowers in the axils of opposite bracts on sohtary or clustered 

 catkins and cones, male catkins often on stalks l-li in., 

 rarely axillary, or sessile, 6-20-flowered, male flowers 

 calyx of 2 sepals, anther; 2-10, sessile, female flowers 

 4 pairs of bristly bracts, lower pairs united, plate-hke, 

 uppermost shortly 2-fid, ovule naked with outer coat 

 formed into a tube which is the style ; fruit sometimes 

 with fleshy red bracts which look almost hke grapes and 

 are juicy and edible, seeds oblong, convex on one side, 

 flat on the other, coat dry. 



perennial, smooth, male and female flowers on different 

 plants, root tuberous, stems siout, flattened, twining; 

 leaves 3-8 by 1-4| in., orbicular, ovate-oblong, base deeply 

 notched, net-veined, stalk 1-3| in., tip forming a long tail- 

 like point ; flowers mmute, greenish on slender axillary 

 spikes male spikes 1-1| in., many, clustered, spreading, 

 male flow^ers round, single or clustered, -epals 6 in 2 series, 

 outer ovat'.-oblong, inner ovate with broad tip, stamens 6, 

 all anther bearing, female spikes 6-8 in., usually soHlary, 

 female flowers sepals as be 'ore but on the ovary, styles 3 ; 

 capsule 1| in. diam., 3 wings, broadly rounded, seeds flat- 

 tened, winged all round, sca'y buds or bulbils grow in the 

 axils of leaves or flower bracts, fall to the ground and take 

 root. 



see Climbing Plants, Alternate, Exstipulate, Simple. 



Polygonatum 

 cirrlfolium, 



Gloriosa superba, 



Kariari, mulim. 



Liltace^. 



F. B. I. vi. 358. 



The Plains to 



5,000 t. 



Sut'ej Vall-y, 



Subathu (Collett). 



see Climbing Plants, Alternate, Exstipulate, Simple. 



perennial, rootstock consists of a seri( s of tubers, 

 stamens 10-20 ft., annual, green, leafy, chmbing by means 

 of its leaves ; leaves 6-8 in., lanceolate, sometimes scatter- 

 ed or in circles of three, sessile or shortly stalked, lips 

 linear, spirally twisting; flowers 3-4 in. aero s, y.llow 

 with scarlet tips changing to crim on, solitary or in clus- 

 ters on stacks 4 6 in. in the axils of ;< aves, sepals 6, 2-3 

 in., lanceolate, separate, spreading at first, refltxed after- 

 wards, margins wavy, curled, stamens 6, first green, then 



