168;- 



CASE Punjab, and Sind as an article of food, either made into 



92. bread or cooked with ghee. 



CASE In the first compartment of this Case observe roots of 



93. Bistort or Snakeweed {Polygonum Bistorta, L.), a 

 perennial herb in moist or swampy meadows in this 

 country. The root or rhizome is a powerful astringent, 

 and was formerly used in tnedicine as a gargle and 

 injection. 



Also note on the upper shelves specimens of CHINESE 

 Indigo plant {Polygonum tinctorium, Ait.), known as 

 Tjok in Corea, with samples of indigo prepared from it. 

 The plant is also commonly cultivated in Japan, and is 

 the source of Mandschurian Indigo. 



No. 407. Buckwheat {Fagopyrum esculentum^ 

 Moench). Long cultivated on the Continent of Europe, 

 and generally in temperate countries, for its farinaceous 

 seeds, from which an excellent bread is made ; it forms a 

 staple food of the inhabitants of the Himalaya and Central 

 Asia. Often planted in Britain for feeding game and 

 poultry. Its native country is probably Russia or Western 

 Asia. Specimens of seeds are exhibited from Japan, East 

 Indies, New Brunswick, &c. 



The seed husks are commonly used as a packing 

 material. 



Samples of Kangra Buckwheat {Fagopyrum lata- 

 ricum^ Gaertn., var. himalaica, Batalin.) are here shown. 

 It is grown as a hill crop in Kulu and is very rich in 

 nutrient constituents. The typical plant {F. tataricum^ 

 Gaertn.) is cultivated throughout the Himalaya, at 

 elevations of 3,C00 to 12,000 feet. 



No. 408. Rhubarb, an important medicine, valuable 

 for its mild purgative properties. As it appears in com- 

 merce it consists of the dried root deprived of more or 

 less of its cortex, the bulk of the drug being derived from 

 species of Rheum natives of China and Tibet, of which 

 the following are the principal ; — 



1. Rheum officinale^ Baill., a striking plant, with a tall 

 loose inflorescence of white flowers, 7 to 8 feet high, 

 found in the mountainous district of the Szechuan- 

 Tibetan border. From the latest information upon the 

 subject it appears probable that the bulk of Ta Huang 



