28 Evans—GeEuM ELATUM, WALLICH. 
and only one of them vouched for by Dr Diels*, but since all these 
specimens have ascending ovules and basally deciduous styles and 
are thus referable to the genus Coluria not Geum, the area, if any, 
occupied in China by the species now under consideration must, 
for the present, be regarded as doubtful. 
In the account of the varieties of Geum elatum, Wall. which 
follows, it will be seen that the type number Wall. Cat. 711 covers 
two of these. From the Catalogue itself it would appear that 
two distinct gatherings, one from Kumaon and one from Sirmore, 
were distributed under this number and it is therefore likely that 
all the specimens from one of these localities were what I here 
name var. typicum, those from the other being the full-statured 
form with almost glabrous achenes for which I propose the 
varietal name leiocarpum. Unfortunately, it-is quite impossible 
to say from which locality any given specimen originated, but it 
is worthy of note that the whole of the type sheet from the Kew 
Herbarium (Plate No. CXCV), kindly lent me for examination, 
is the former, while the whole of that in the Edinburgh Herbarium 
is the latter. Owing to this uncertainty it has not been possible 
to include either in the distributional notes, though the specimens 
in question will form the types of the respective varieties should 
further investigation prove their validity. 
With regard to the third variety (var. humile, Royle) I am of the 
opinion that it may prove merely a stunted state of var. leiocar- 
pum. ‘The plant from Gossain Than, distributed as Wall. Cat. 
no. 712, may be regarded as the best available example of Geum 
elatum, Wall. var. humile, Royle as understood by Sir J. D. 
Hooker.+ The only description of this, which does more than 
refer to its reduced size and generally solitary flowers, is that of 
Lehmann.} From this we learn that the few Nepalese specimens 
in question were in fairly advanced condition, the petals being 
much withered or fallen and that, in the portion received by him, 
the inflorescence did not exceed the leaves and the achenes were 
glabrous. An examination of the single representative speci- 
men in the Kew Herbarium (Plate No. CXCVI) shows that it 
agrees with Lehmann’s account, except that the inflorescences 
are almost twice the length of the leaves and the achenes are tipped 
with a very few, short, bristly hairs. From this it seems clear 
that var. humile, Royle has achenes which show just the same 
characters and degree of variation as do those of var. leiocarpum 
and in addition that its stature is subject to at least some variation 
towards the taller-growing forms of the species. In this connec- 
tion it should be borne in mind that almost equally reduced forms 
with the — sabe ee of var. typicum also occur, as an 
. Edinb. vii (1912), p. 108. 
y. Bot. G: 
+ Flore a British india. ii, P- 343- 
; Revis. Potentill., p. 47, t. 17. 
