Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 1.djvu/121

Rh on account of the difference of structure which its ovary presents. In X. flavescens, Roxburgh describes and figures the ovary as having two tubercles rising from the base, each bearing two erect ovules, and in his X. virens, he represents the placentas as forming two projections, one from each side of the ovary extending its whole length, and each bearing from 4 to 6 ovules! In my plant, I find only 4 ovules, as in flavescens, but differently situated, one namely from each extremity of each placenta, one ascending the other pendulous. On this account it approaches more nearly to X. virens, but in that species each placenta bears from 4 to 6 ovules in two rows. I may here observe that in our Prodromus we have fallen into an error in adopting the name flavescens, for the only species it contains. It is most true that in its general aspect, our plant corresponds with Roxburgh's flavescens, even to the colour of the leaves but it differs in the structure of the ovary, the principal point of difference between Roxburgh's' two species. From X. virens, both the present species and flavescens of the Prodromus differ in the absence of a glandular enlargement of the veins on the lower surface of the leaves and in changing to yellow in drying. The very distant stations of the two plants, tend, still further to confirm the opinion that they are distinct. On this point however, T refrain from offering any decided opinion, as 1 have not seen a specimen of the original X. virens. Among my specimens from Courtallum and Ceylon, there are five distinct forms, which may be thus distinguished and named—1st, the one here figured, X. angustifolium. 2d, one with subsecund spicate racemes, elliptic, shortly acuminated, green, leaves; ovary with four ovules, 2 erect and 2 pendulous, X. Roxburgianum. 3d, one with hard coriacious reticulated, glabrous, acuminated leaves, undulated on the margin ; ovary with four transverse ovules, X. undulatum. 4th, the form described in our Prodromus under the name of X. flavescens, but which I now consider quite distinct from Roxburgh's plant, X. Arnotlianum: and lastly, one from Ceylon, with oval leaves, ending in an abrupt, rather long pointed, acumen; the ovary 4-ovuled, the ovules attached to the base, ascending ; probably the true X. flavescens of Roxb : the figure of which it greatly resembles.

P. Wallichiana. (R.W.) Glabrous, erect, ramous : leaves narrow, lanceolate, obtuse: racemes axillary, or from the forks of the branches, many flowered : wings from broadly ovate to orbicular, longer than the capsules : capsule margined, glabrous : seeds black, densely covered with white hairs, carunculus white edentulate.

P. persicariaefolia. Wall. List 4185, c.

A native of Alpine districts, frequent on the Pulney hills, where the plant attains a much larger size than the one here represented, bearing fewer but longer racemes.

This differs from the plant figured by Wallich, in being perfectly glabrous, diffusely, ramous in having the racemes invariably springing from the branches, in place of terminal as in his plant, sometimes they are axillary, sometimes supra-axillary, and not unfrequently from the forks of the branches. The flowers appear much smaller than in his. It differs from DeCandolle's plant in being glabrous, not pubescent, and in having glabrous, not ciliate capsules; From Dons, P. Buchanani, it differs in its ramous habit, and in being every where glabrous. The plant here figured is, 1 find, equally a native of the Himalayas, and of the southern mountains, as I have a specimen from Simla, procured from a very extensive and beautifully preserved collection of plants formed, while there, by Lady Dalhousie.

Calyx 5-sepaled, sepals about equal. Petals 3, united below into a tube, cleft longitudinally on one side. Stamens 4, filaments united their whole length, and adhering near the base to the tube of the°corolla. Anthers 4. Capsule compressed, bristle-toothed on the margin, 2-lobed, 2-celled, with a single pendulous seed in each cell. Seed compressed, glabrous, sublenticular black, testa crustacious, brittle. Embryo large, straight, enclosed in albumen. Cotyledons foliacious, radicle pointing to the hilum.

Small herbaceous plants; leaves alternate; racemes terminal; flowers minute, purplish, each furnished with a bractea.

Mr. Don characterizes this genus as exalbuminous, and with an inverse embryo, in both of which points, it appears to me he is mistaken ; the albumen being rather copious in S. obovata, and the embryo erect with respect to the seed, though inverse with reference to the plant.

1. S. obovata. (R. W.) Erect, ramous: leaves sub-sessile, glabrous, obovate obtuse, or spathulate below; above, from sub-orbicular to cordate : spikes elongated: capsules bristle-toothed on the marline.

Malabar Coast and Ceylon.

My specimens from Malabar scarcely exceed three inches in height, but are very ramous, some that I have from Ceylon of apparently the same plant, are much larger, but less branched; in all other respects they correspond. Perhaps the species is too nearly allied to S. oblongifolia D.C. which however seems distinct.

2. Salomonia cordata. (Arnott) Ramous, leaves sessile, cordate, ovate, glabrous on the sides, ciliate on the margin ; spikes elongated: capsules crestato-pectinate. Arnott.

Sea Coast Ceylon.

All the species from southern India are coast plants. Mr. Arnott inadvertently quotes the mountains of