Flora Medica

Stems 6 to 10 feet high, much branched and sulcated, very thickbelow, gradually attenuated upwards into large panicles, and thererough with minute warts or excrescences the colour yellow-green,:streaked with red-brown. Leaves very large, but gradually smaller upwards,roundish-cordate, entire, somewhat wavy, slightly rough uponthe surface and the margin. Petioles thick, angled and furrowed, rough,embracing the stem by means of the large, bifid, sheathing membranousstipules. Panicles, or rather compound racemes, terminal, very long,the branches erect, virgate, rough. Pedicels solitary or clustered,somewhat verticillate, short, spreading in fruit, deflexed. Flowers verysmall, of a deep blood-red colour. Calyx of 6 spreading, ovate, deep segments,3 alternate ones smaller. Stamens 9, shorter than the perianth.Filaments subulate, monadelphous at the base. Ovary short, triquetrous,often abortive. Styles 3, spreading. Stigmas large, warty.Fruit pendent, dark blood-coloured, shining, cordate, triangular, theangles sharply winged, covered at the base with the persistent perianth,of which the 3 smaller segments are applied to the 3 winged angles.Seed ovato-triquetrous. Hooker. To the foregoing description bySir W. Hooker, I add, for the sake of a better contrast with otherspecies, the following more exact character of the leaves and petioles: Leaves cordate, acute, dull green, but little wavy, Saltish,very much wrinkled, distinctly rough, with coarse short hairs oneach side ;sinus of the base distinctly open, not wedge-shaped but divergingat an obtuse angle, with the lobes nearly turned upwards.Petioles very rough, rounded-angular, furrowed ;with the upper sidedepressed, bordered by an elevated edge, and very much narrower atthe upper than the lower end. It was stated by Professor Don (Edinb.Phil. Journal), when this plant was first made known, that it was theundoubted origin of the Russian and Turkey rhubarbs. But Mr. Pereira,who had samples of the root from Dr. Wallich, found that the specimenshad hardly any resemblance to the rhubarb of the shops. The rootsof this and R. Webbianum nevertheless appear to be valuable as medicines; for Mr. Twining reported that, after an experience of 43 casesin the general hospital at Calcutta, he found them, as tonic and astringent,superior to corresponding quantities of the best rhubarb, but noton the whole so eligiblein obstinate costiveness on account of their aromaand astringency. They are less disagreeable to take than the best Turkeyrhubarb, nearly as efficacious as a purge, and very superior in smalldoses as a tonic and astringent inprofluvia. Royle's Illustr., p. 316.733. R. Webbianum Roykillustr. 318 R. Emodi Meisnerin Wall, pi as. rar. iii. 65. not of Wall. Gossain Than ; Niti.Root leaves large, long- stalked, cordate, acute; cauline obtuse;rather downy above, veiny beneath and margin hairy ; petioles rounded.Upper branches and peduncles round, smooth, slightly striated. Axillaryracemes clustered, terminal, panicled ; pedicelsin threes, twice asshort as the ripe fruit. Sepals entire, broadly oval, obtuse. Acheniumsomewhat cordate at the base, entire or a little emarginate at the point.Royle. See the last species. This is possibly what Mr. Moorcroftfound at Niti, at the height of 12,000 feet above the sea.734. R. spiciforme Royle illustr. 318. t. 78. Northern faceof the Himalayas, at the Kherang pass, and several places beyond.355 A A 2