N. O. ItANDNCUI-ACE^;. 
11 
Roots biennial, paired, tuberous ; daughter-tuber shortly 
conic to long-cylindrie, often irregularly shaped, 4 to more than 
10 cm. long, 0'75-3 cm. thick, simple or branched, sometimes 
flexuous or twisted, bearing root-fibres, some of which are 
thread-like from the base and break off easily, while others are 
much thickened at the base or thick-cylindric, light-brown, 
smooth, fracture more or less horny and brownish in the thick- 
est part of full-grown samples, almost farinaceous and white 
towards the tips and in the root-branches, cambium discon- 
tinuous, forming isolated strands of very varying shape and size, 
cylindric or tangentially flattened or crescent-shaped in cross- 
section, taste purely and persistently bitter ; mother-tubers 
similar, but smaller, shrunk more or less hollow, and brown 
internally. Innovation-bud , short, conic from broad base 
Stem erect, sometimes shortly flexuous in the upper part, simple 
or nearly so, inclusive of the inflorescence, 2-4ft. high, stout, 
hollow, shining, glabrous Leaves scattered, rather distant, 
up to 10, rarely more, the lowest usually withered at the time 
of flowering, quite glabrous, or the uppermost finely pubescent 
on the nerves below ; petioles slender, 4-10 cm. long ; blade 
orbicular-cordate to reniform with a very wide sinus (1-2 cm. 
deep), 6-10 cm. high from the sinus to the tip, 7-15 cm. across 
5-or the uppermost 3-palmati-partite to $ or £, rarely more (to § 
in the inner incisions), divisions obovate cuneate to broadly 
lanceolate-cuneate or the outermost trapezoid, 3-lobed to about 
the middle or the outermost 2-lobed, intermediate lobe often 
elongated like others, acutely inciso-dentate or apiculately cre- 
nate. Inflorescence : — A very loose leafy panicle or raceme, 10-20 
cm. long, glabrous, or pubescent in the upper part ; rhachis 
rather slender ; floral leaves, like the preceding canline leaves, 
passing into the ovate or deltoid, dentate, shortly petioled 
bracts ; bracteoles similar to bracts, but smaller, and sparingly 
dentate or entire, above the middle of the pedicels or even close 
to the flower ; pedicels slender, curved, ascending, ultimately 
more erect, the lower up to' 10 cm. long. Sepals bluish, or 
variegated white and blue, glabrous at least outside ; upper- 
most helmet-shaped, helmet obliquely semi-orbicular (from the 
side) or more depressed and gaping very shortly or obscurely 
