438 Notes, chiefly Botanical, made during an [May, 



beautiful, but foliage brighter, more luxuriant and handsome. (3) R. 

 Falconeri,* MSS., in point of foliage the most superb of all the Hima- 

 layan species ; trunks inclined, 30 ft. high, branching but little, bark 

 very smooth and papery. Branches naked, except at the apices, where 

 clusters of small white flowers are borne ; the corollas are 10 cleft and 

 the stamens numerous. Leaves 18 inches long, very thick above, deep 

 green and wrinkled underneath, covered with a rich deep chesnut-brown 

 tomentum. Next in abundance to Rhododendrons are shrubs of Limo- 

 nia, Symplocos and Hydrangea, forming small trees, but there are still 

 a few Magnolias, very large Pyri, of three species, and Yew,f the 

 latter 18 ft. in circumference; besides these, Anisodus luridus, now in 

 flower, Pieris, Andromeda, Olea, Celastrus, Cerasus and Daphne canna- 

 bina. A white flowered rose, R. sericea ?% was very abundant, growing 

 erect, its numerous inodorous flowers pendent, apparently as a protection 

 from the dashing rain. Kadsura, Ochna, Stauntonia and Clematis 

 acuminata, were the prevailing climbers. I met with a cucurbitaceous 

 plant at this great elevation, a Smilax and Asclepiadeous genus (Holos- 

 tenura ?). A currant was common, always growing epiphytically on 

 trunks of large trees. Two or three species of Berberris, and maple, I 

 think nearly complete the list of woody plants. Amongst the herbaceous 

 and smaller shrubby plants, were many of great interest, as a Rhubarb, 

 Rheum (Webbianum ?) Aconitum palmatum% a very pretty species, 

 which as well as an undescribed congener, yields the <e Bikh" poison of 

 E. Nepal, Sikkim and Bhotan. Thalictrum, one species. Anemone 

 vitifolia, Fumaria, two Violce. Stillaria, Hypericum, Geranium 2 species, 

 2 Balsams. Bpilobium, Potentilla, Paris (7 — 10,000 ft.) Panax pseudo- 

 ginseng, and another species, Meconopsis Nepalensis, 2 species of Gen-* 



* I have now upwards of 20 distinct species of this superb genus from the Sik- 

 kim mountains alone. 



f The red bark of the Yew is used as a dye and for staining the foreheads of the 

 brahman Ghorkkas in Nepal, 



% This is the only species of rose occurring in Sikkim below 10,000 ft. 



§ Probably Bikh is yielded by various Aconita. The name of both the Sikkim 

 Aconites is Bikhugniong by Lepchas and Bhotheas, who do not distinguish the two 

 species by the roots. Another, far more powerful Bikh, is yielded by a plant of 

 the order Composite, which I have gathered abundantly at 10 and 9000 ft. and it 

 requires care to distinguish its root from that of the Aconites ; when mixed the 

 Bhotheas could not separate them. 



