288 CLiii. TACCACsai. (J. D. Hooker.) [Tacca. 



inner largest broadly oblong. Boxb. Cor. PI. t. 257. T. aspera, Boxb. 

 Fl. Ind. ii. 169. Atacoa integrifolia, Presl Bel. Sasek. 149 ; More des 

 Serves, t. 860, 861. 



SiLHET, Chittagong and Tenassekim. 



Rootatoch oblong, curved. Leaves 8-16 by 4-8 in., aeaminate, strongly nerved 

 and buUate ; petiole shorter than the blade, and scape maroon-brown. Scope abont 

 as long as the petiole, stout, recurved or bent to one side, few-fld. ; invol. spathes 

 unequal, twisted, dirty green with purple nerves ; outer 2-3 in., finely acuminate ; 

 inner longer, petioled, often vaulted over the at length drooping flowers. Periantk 

 greenish-pnrple and yellow, or dirty lilac ; outer lobes subacute, rather shorter than the 

 obtuse inner ; mouth obscurely thickened and ridged, all at length reilexed. Ovary 

 turbinate, deeply grooved. JBerry H in., oblong, fleshy. 



4. T. laevis, Boxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 171 ; leaves entire elliptic-ovate petiole 

 and short recurved scape smooth, invol. leaves 4 subequal sessile ovate 

 acuminate, perianth-lobes spreading acute 3 inner largest and broadest. 

 Grah. Oat. Bomb. PI. 230. Kunth Enum. v. 466. T. integrifolia, Serb. 

 Ham. 



Bhotau Himalaya, Griffith. Silhet, RoxhurgTi, Chittaqong, Munitipobe, 

 and Tenassebim, S. Concan, Nimmo. — Distkie. Tonkin, Java. 



Rootstoch subcylindric. Leaves 12-16 by 5-6 in,, acuminate ; petiole as long 

 as the blade. Scape shorter than the petiole, greenish-purple, more or less re- 

 curved, 6-12-fld. ; invol. leaves 2 by 1 in., finely acuminate, many-nerved j bracts 

 numerous filiform. Flowers pedicellod, blueish, greenish-grey or violet ; perianth 

 |— 1 in. diam.; outer lobes acute. 



Order GLIY. DXOSCOREACEa:. 



Bootstoch various. Stem, climbing, branched, rarely short erect. 

 Leaves entire lobed or digitately 3-5-f oliolate, costate and reticulate, petiole 

 often angular and twisted at the base. Flowers small or minute, panioled 

 racemose or spicate, rarely bisexual. Perianth superior, 6-cleft. Male fl. 

 tubular or urceolate, lobes short, spreading. Stamens inserted at the base 

 of the perianth, or on its lobes 3, 6, or 3 perfect and 3 staminodes, filaments 

 incurved or recurved, anthers small, globose, oblong or didymous, or with 

 the cells on branches of the filament. Pistillode various or 0. Fern. fl. Peri- 

 anth of the male, but smaller. Staminodes 3, 6 or 0. Ovary 3-quetrous, 

 3-celled ; styles 3, very short, stigmas entire or 2-fid recurved; ovules 2 

 superposed in each cell, pendulous, anatropous or subamphitropous. Fruit 

 a berry or 3-valved capsule. Seeds flat or globose ; embryo small, included 

 in the hard albumen. — Genera 8, species about 160. 



Climbers, flowers unisexual, capsule 3-winged . . .1. Dioscorea. 



Stem erect, 1-leaved, flowers bisexual, fruit indehiscent . 2. Trichopus. 



1. SIOSCOREA, Unn. 



Fruit capsular. — Species 150, tropical and subtropical. 



The species of Dioscorea are in a state of indescribable confusion, and I cannot 

 hope to have escaped errors in the determination and delimitation of the Indian ones, 

 to which I have devoted much labour. The Roxbnrghian food-yielding species are 

 for the most part indeterminable, and except through a knowledge of them as culti- 

 vated in India they cannot be understood . No doubt some of the species described 



