392 D. Prain — Some additional Leguminosas. [No. 2, 



Herbarium was begun. Hence it happens that M. De Candolle gives Nepal as its 

 locality in the Prodromus. Asa matter of fact, however, Dr. Wallich did not collect 

 this species in Nepal at all ; his specimens came from Kamaon where they were 

 collected by Mr. Blinkworth. The species is represented in the Wallichian herbarium 

 by n. 5711 A. And a specimen of the North-West Himalayan species of which Wall. 

 Cat. 5711 A. is an example has been kindly compared by M. Casimir De Candolle and 

 Mr. Buser with the type of D. podocarpum in the Prodromus Herbarium ; the result 

 has been to show that the two are the same plant. Dr. Scully and Mr. Maries, the 

 only other collectors who have sent plants from Nepal since Dr. Wallich's visit to 

 that country, have equally failed to find D. podocarpum there. 



Dr. Wallich's Gat. n. 5711 B. did come from Nepal. Unfortunately, however> 

 under this letter was issued a mixture of two plants, neither of which is D. podocar- 

 pum. One of them is D. laxum DC. which was at a later date redescribed by 

 Mr. Bentham as D. Gardneri. In the Flora of British India a compromise is adopted 

 as regards D. laxum ; the Himalayan examples of the plant are treated as belonging 

 to D. podocarpum, though Mr. Baker deviates from Dr. Wallich's treatment to the 

 extent of making them varietally distinct ; the South Indian examples are, however, 

 kept apart under Bentham's name D. Gardneri. In the Flora of British India 

 Kamaon is given as a locality for D. laxum though no one has hitherto sent it from 

 that region ; Assam as a locality is omitted, though one of the specimens quoted 

 (Wall. Cat. n. 5720) came from that province. And it will be observed that although, 

 as a Nepal plant, Wallich merged it in D. podocarpum, as an Assam one be issued it 

 as a distinct species, D. trinerve. 



The other plant mixed with D. podocarpum by Wallich under n. 5711 B. is 

 D. oxyphyllum DC, regarding the identity of which a wide-spread misunderstanding 

 has arisen ; the thanks of Indian botanists are due to M. Casimir De Candolle who, 

 with Mr. Buser, has compared specimens of the plant with the type sheets in the 

 Prodromus Herbarium, and has been so kind as to present to Herb. Calcutta, from 

 his own herbarium, one of the actual Nepalese specimens that were originally sent 

 to Geneva by Dr. Wallich and that formed the basis of D. oxyphyllum. He has 

 thus finally removed any doubt that might exist as to the identity of the species. 



14. Desmodium laxum DC. Prodr. ii. 336. 



Add to synonyms of F. B. I. : — I). trinerve Grah. in Wall. Cat. 

 5720. D. Gardneri Benth. PL Jungh. 226. D. podocarpum var. laxum 

 Bah. in Flor. Brit. Ind. ii. 165 not D. podocarpum DC. 



Add to localities of F. B. I. : — Nepal; Wallich ! Sikkim j from the 

 Terai {Clarke 36801/ Kurz !) up to 2000 feet elev., {King! Clarke 

 13195 !) Eastern Duars, Heawood ! Assam Valley at Goalpara, Hamilton I 

 Gauhati, Simons ! Sibsagar, Masters ! Malay Peninsula ; Perak, Wray 

 n. 1608 ! 



This species does not vary in any of its localities and is always very easily dis- 

 tinguished by its acuminate leaflets, boldly 3-nerved at the base, and by the very 

 long stalks to its pods. 



M. Casimir De Candolle and M. Buser have also kindly examined specimens of 

 veritable D. Gardneri and find that D. Gardneri is true D. laxum DC. 



146. Desmodium oxyphyllum DC. Prodr. ii. 336; corolla small, 

 bracts linear, minute, stalk of pod twice as long as calyx, pedicels short, 



