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24 20. A. deinorrhizum, Stapf. sp. nov.

Fig.:—Stapf. Annals Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta, Vol. X, pt. ii, t 103.

Habitat:—Alpine Himalaya of Bashahr.

Vernacular name—mohra, maura bikh.

Roots:—Biennial, tuberous, paired; daughter-tuber conical, rather elongated, up to 6·5 cm. long, and at the upper end up to 18 mm. thick, with very few filiform root-fibres, brown externally, fracture scarcely farinaceous, whitish, taste indifferent, followed by a strong tingling sensation, cambium discontinuous, broken into strands, arranged in a ring, the smaller circular in cross-section, the larger tangentially flattened; mother-tuber similar, more or less shrunk, wrinkled, with long filiform root-fibres. Innovation-bud a very low, broad, obtuse cone; scales very broad with a clasping base, decaying after sprouting. Stem several feet high, erect, straight, simple, terete, sparingly and finely crispo-pubescent in the upper part, otherwise glabrous, shining, or in young plants sparingly pubescent all along. Leaves up to 10 or 12, scattered, lower usually decayed at the time of flowering, the upper 6-8 rather distant, sparingly hairy when young, especially towards the margins and on the nerves below, soon glabrescent; petioles slender, mostly 5-7 cm. long, dilated at the base; blade reniform or ovate-reniform in outline, with a very wide sinus or an almost truncate base, 5-pedati-partite almost to the base (to $15⁄16$ - $19⁄20$ in the inner, to $3⁄4$ - $7⁄8$ in the outer, incisions), inner divisions subequal or intermediate, distinctly longer, rhombic from a cuneate base, up to 8 cm. (or the intermediate to 10 cm. long), 5-6·5 cm. broad, 3-lobed to the middle, intermediate lobe much longer than the lateral, lobes deeply laciniate, laciniæ linear or broad-lanceolate, entire or sparingly inciso-dentate, shortly acute or subobtuse, outer divisions asymmetric, usually to or beyond the middle, otherwise similar to the inner, but smaller. Inflorescence straight, racemose, simple or sometimes with an additional branchlet from near its base, 30-40 cm. long, narrow, not very dense, greyish, crispo-pubescent; lowest bracts similar to the preceding leaves, or like