205 
subrugosis apice acutis basi truncatis, utrinque parce lanatis, inferioribus 
breve petiolatis casteris subsessilibus raiaealibus ovato-lanceolatis ; verti- 
cillastris multifloris laxiuseulis reraotis, hracteis membranaceis ovato- 
lanceolatis acnminatis cucullatis calyces ^quantibus, calycis longe 
hirsuti membranacei striati ore intus piloso oblique, dentibus e basi 
angustiore subulatis summo tubum subsequante casteris eo brevioribus, 
corolla extus puberula tube calycis fere 2-plo longiore, staminibus 
exsertis, nuculis oblongis apice obtusis ruguloso-tuberculatis areola ferri 
equini calcaribus sursum directis ad instar afiixis. 
Afghania ATJSTRALt ; inter Kandahar et Kelat-i-Ghilzai, Bellew ! 
Rhizoma de-est, caulis p. q. s. plus quam 40 cm. basi fere 1 cm. crassa, 
foliis inferioribus 7—9 cm. longis his 3—4 cm. latis petiolis 1 cm. longis, 
ramealibus 2—2'5 cm. longis his 1—1-5 cm. latis sessilibus, spied 12 cm. 
longa hac 2-5 cm. lata verticillastris (10—12) 12—16-floris imis 2 cm. 
summis vix 1 cm. remotis, bracteis 12 mm. longis 4—7 mm. latis 3—5- 
nervis coloratis supra glabris subtus nervis sub lente puberulis margine 
prope basin parce pilis albis divergentibus ornato prope apicem acumina¬ 
tum et tandem subulatum sub lente puberulo, calyce tandem subinflato 
pedicello 1—2 mm. longo tubo 6 mm. longo dentibus summo 6 mm., 
lateralibus 5 mm., imis 4-5 mm. longis extus ssquabiliter pilis albis 
divergentibus parce hirsute intus tubi ore et dentium basibus pilis 
simillimis densissime piloso, corolla tubo 11 mm. longo extus puberulo 
colore forsan rosea, nuculis 3 mm, longis his 1-5 mm. latis brunneis 
areola alba calcaribus 1 mm. longis excepta manifesto rugulosis. 
This very distinct species bears a considerable resemblance to the 
European N. tuberosa but the whorls are much more lax, the calyx mouth 
is oblique and no secondary reticulation of the membranous bracts is 
visible. The nutlets of this species also closely resemble those of 
N. tuberosa and N. Sibthorpii, but in these European species there is 
a much smaller areola of the us ual type. Among Oriental species it 
most resembles N. glomerulosa, next to which it is now placed, but it 
differs greatly in having much larger bracts, much longer spikes and 
many-flowered lax w horls with longer corollas. The nutlets too are 
different—the horse-shoe shaped areola of the nutlets being perhaps 
the most remarkable character of this species; its pilose calyx-mouth 
also is a character which connects it with § Psiloneffm Benth. to 
which group this feature has hitherto been supposed to be conflned. 
Except for this character, however, it is much more obviously related 
to the other Maceostegij; than to any Psilonepe'ia. Perhaps a prefer¬ 
able view would be to look on this species as the type of a new subsec¬ 
tion intermediate between Psilonepetse and Macrostegise though to be 
86 
