51 



year. Tendril stout, opposite to the leaves, much longer than the petiole, 

 mostly 2-forkecl. Leaves "broadly ovate or broadly deltoid-ovate, 5-13 cm 



long, 4-10 cm wide, acuminate at the apex, truncate or broadly cordate at 

 the base, incnmbent-crenate with the mucronate tip at the fore part, rather 

 densely rufo-tomentose along and thinly rufo-tomentose among the nerves 

 on the under surface when young, often 3-lobed with the open and 

 rounded-obtuse sinus at those of the sterile branches, the basal nerves 

 including the midrib 5, of which the outermost ones are in reality the 

 branches of the- inner next ones ; petiole shorter than the blade, slender, 

 2-6 cm long. Inflorescence opposite to and shorter than the leaves ; 



rachis slender, free from the flowers in the lower part, rufo-tomentose, 

 often 2- forked ; raceme oblong-cylindrical, rounded at the top ; bracts 

 minute, narrow, membranaceous, rufo-villose ; fascicled-pedicels in the inferior 

 portion of the rachis on the short horizontal-patent peduncle but superior 

 ones without peduncles, capillaceous-flliform, glabrous, about 3-4 mm long. 

 Flowers minute, numerous, rather dense, obovoid in bud. Calyx minute, 

 sub-annular. Petals 5-6, narrowly oblong, coherent at the top, deciduous. 

 Stamens 5-6, shorter than the corolla ; anther broadly ovate, filament 

 filiform, somewhat longer than the anther. Ovary ovoid, attenuated 



into a short style above, with a disk surrounding the base ; stigma terminal, 

 peltate, concave at the centre ; ovules very minute, 4, ovate to oblong. 

 Berry small, globose, smooth, black when mature, 2-3-seeded, situated on 

 the top of the thick and sub-ciavate pedicel. 



V. flexuosa var. japonica Makino, Notes on Jap. Plants, XV. in Bat, 

 Magaz., Tokyo, VI. p. 51. 



Nom. Jap. Ama-dzuru. 



Hah. Prov. Yamato : Kasuga-yama (Z. Matsumura ! herb. Sc. Coll. 

 Imp. Univ. Tokyo, Aug. 2, 1883); Prov. Tosa : Sakawa (T. Moh'no 

 Autumn 1884, May 1885, May 2, 1887, and 1889). 



A common species in the southern part of Japan, coming near to V. 

 flexuosa Thunb., though quite distinct. The sweet sap of this climber 

 was in old times employed just as the sugar and honey of the present day. 

 Ama-dzuru meaning " sweet climber," is a classical name, and Oloko-budd 

 named before by myself shall be dropped here. 



Achyranthes bidentata Blume var. longifolia Makino in sched. 



herb. Sc. Coll. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 1894. 



Perennial ; elongate stems and prolonged divaricate branches tetragonal 



