64 



SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



38991 to 39101— Continued. 



39050. Rheum nobile Hook. f. and Thorns. Polygonaceae. Rhubarb. 

 " A handsome herbaceous plant, with a stem 3 to 4 feet high and as 



thick as the wrist at the base. It is found in the inner ranges of the 

 Sikkim Himalayas at altitudes between 13,000 and 15,000 feet. The root 

 resembles that of the medicinal rhubarb, but is spongy and inert. The 

 acid stems are eaten both raw and boiled, and the dried leaves afford 

 a substitute for tobacco." (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products 

 of India.) 



39051. Rhododendron anthopogon Don. Ericaceae. Rhododendron. 



" A small shrub, with very aromatic, strongly scented leaves, common 

 at altitudes between 11,000 and 16,000 feet on the alpine Himalayas, from 

 Kashmir to Bhutan, and distributed to central and northern Asia. The 

 leaves of this plant are aromatic, and their smoke is considered by the 

 natives to be useful in some diseases. They are supposed to contain 

 stimulant properties and are collected and exported to the plains, where 

 they are officinal. This is one of the species which is thought by the 

 Bhutias to excite the headache and nausea which attends ascents to the 

 high elevations of the eastern Himalayas." (J. D. Hooker. In Watt, 

 Dictionary of the Economic Products of India.) 



"An evergreen shrub, 2 feet or less high, of compact habit; young 

 branchlets hairy and covered with brown scurf. Leaves oval or ovate, 

 1 to 1^ inches long, one-half to three-fourths inch wide, dark, rather 

 glossy green above, covered with brown scales beneath ; stalk one-fourth 

 inch long. Flowers sulphur colored, one-half to three-fourths inch across, 

 produced in a small terminal cluster, 1 to IJ inches wide. Corolla thin, 

 almost transparent; tube hairy inside, expanding at the mouth into five 

 wavy lobes ; calyx lobes oblong, pale green, one-eighth inch long, fringed 

 at the margin; stamens five (sometimes up to eight), very short, and in- 

 cluded within the tube; flower stalk scaly, one-sixth inch or less in 

 length. Flowers in April. 



" Native of the high Himalayas from Cashmere eastward, up to 

 16,000 feet altitude, where it covers large areas; introduced in 1820. 

 The whole plant has a strong, aromatic, slightly acrid odor, especially 

 when crushed. It is an interesting little plant and one of the hardiest 

 of Himalayan species, but not in any way showy." {W. J. Bean, Trees 

 and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, vol. 2, p. 31^1.) 



39052. Rhododendron arboreum Smith. Ericaceae. Rhododendron. 



"A tree which often attains a height of 25 feet, common on the 

 temperate Himalayas from the Indus to Bhutan, at altitudes between 

 5,000 and 10,000 feet. It is frequent on the Khasi Hills, between 4,000 

 and 6,000 feet, and occurs also on the hills of southern India and Ceylon, 

 very abundant in Manipur, and on the Kareen Hills in Burma. The 

 leaves of the young trees are poisonous and are used medicinally for 

 headaches. The flowers have a sweet-sour taste and are said to make a 

 good subacid jelly. They are, in. some parts of the Himalayas, eaten 

 by the natives, who become intoxicated if they consume a large quantity. 

 The wood is soft, reddish white or reddish brown in color, and even 

 grained, and apt to warp and shrink. The wood is chiefly used for fuel 

 and charcoal, but it is also sometimes employed for building and for 

 making dishes." (Watt, Dictionary of the Economic Products of India.) 



