382 
A CENSUS OF THE INDIAN POLYGONUMS. 
VL— North-West Himalaya: (i) Gilgit ; Chaelu, 10,000 ft., 
Giles, No. 61 ! (2) Baltistan ; near Gorakote, Strachey 
& Winterbotiom, No. 723! Baleshahr Nullah, Astor, 
it.j Duthie, No- 12493! Shingo Valley io*i 1,000 
ft., Duthie, No. 11908! (15) Kunawar ; Pangi, Stoliczka ! 
This species could be confused, in India at least, with only Polygon 
num paronychiotdes, Poly gonum .afghani cum or Polygonum tubulo^ 
sum. The absence of a perennial woody rootstock distinguishes it 
from the first two species, while its much more slender, flexuous, and 
almost leafless-looking habit distinguishes it from Polygonum tubulo- 
sum. Boissier [Flora Orient alis, vol. iv, p. 1033) without assigning 
any reason, expresses a doubt of the correctness of Meisner’s statement 
{DC. Prodr. xiv, 92) that this species is found in Afghanistan. Appa- 
rently Boissier could not have seen Griffith’s original numbers, which 
Meisner quotes, and which are also in the Calcutta Herbarium : they 
leave no room for doubt. 
14. •^Poly^oimiii afg'liaiiiciim Meisn. {DC. Prodr omus xiv, go). 
Somewhat shrubby, with many erect, filiform, angled, pruinose- 
papillose branches ; internodes about i *3 cm. long, shorter above, and 
concealed by the stipules, which below are shorter than 'the internodes 
and hyaline, obsoletely 3-nerved, ciliate lacerate. Leaves Wn&diX;, ^-10 
mm. long, setosely mucronate, midrib often lighter in colour than the 
lamina, otherwise nerveless, flat or with the margins revolute towards 
the apex, base very slightly narrowed. Flowers axillary, usually 
solitary, sessile. /^-segments 5, somewhat elongate, the two 
outer shortly awned. Stamens 8, unequal. Nut trigonous, finely 
puncticulate. 
I.— North-West Frontier : (j) Afghanistan, 3,000 ft. and over, 
Aitchison, No. 470! (2) British Baluchistan; Stocks 
(Herb. N. Dalzell, Bombay), No. 1135 ! Gwal, 6,000 ft.. 
Lace, No. 3732 ! 
The woody rootstock and erect strict habit distinguish this 
species quite clearly from Polygonum polycnemoides, which has an 
annual root and very slender and flexuous branches. 
15. Polygonum molliseforme Boiss. 
VI. — North-West Himalaya: (3) Nubra, 14-16,000 ft, T. 
Thomson ! (?) Zaling-Karpo Pass, and south of Bhabeh, 
Stoliczka ! 
