Page:The Journal of Indian Botany, Volume III.djvu/26

18 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. “SCARIOSAE ”, the dark distinctive band present in nearly all heads, is pro- bably derived from the dark bracts of the others of this group. In the fresh state this is more conspicuous on the lower floral bracts giving them a brownish tinge. The black calyx limbs appear as black spots among this white glistering bracts of the upper flowers.

Ruhland divides the species as defined above into four species according to the distribution and the development of female sepals, and calls some of the Indian forms JET. redactum, as having only 2 or 3 minute female sepals. This separation of the species involves very careful dissectum under a high powered lens, and since as explained in the introduction, it is clear that in the genus Eriocaulon the flowers are highly plastic, and moreover the female sepals of this species are so quickly caducous that it is impossible in seeding heads to be certain of their number, every object of systematic botany would appear to be best served by considering these forms as variations of one widely distributed species.

The following species given in Ruhland’s monograph or elsewhere, some of them as “ dubiae vel imperfecte cognitae ”, have not been seen and are unknown to me.

E. Ritchieanum Ruhl. No. 84. Stem 0. leaves linear acuminate, thin, 4-7 nerved, glabrous 4-5 cm. long, 1*3 mm. wide at the middle. Peduncles solitary, 16 cm. long, compressed when dry. Head 4-5 mm, broad, villously white. Involucral bracts obtuse, glabrous ; floral simi- lar, yellowish black, puberous at the back. Sepals and petals 3 each* Anthers white.

Belgaum Ritchie 1248 in Herb. Bois-Bar. (This may be my E, horseley - kundae ( No. 46) in which case the latter name will not hold.

E. pseudo-quinquangulare Ruhl. No. 86. Stem 0. Leaves 5-8 cm. long. Peduncles 10-23 cm. Heads 3 mm. wide. Floral.bracts ob- long-obovate, acuminate, blackish, hairy at the back. Sepals and petals 3 each ; female sepals obovate-acute, crested. Anthers black.

In the Botanic Gardens Sharampur.

E. heteroiepis Steud. Steud. Syn. PL Gyp. p. 271. Ruhl. No. 87. Stem 0. Leaves 5 cm. long, lanceolate obtuse from a broader base, 9-11 nerved. Peduncles very many, 13 cm. high. Involuoral bracts scarious, 2 seriate ; outer deciduous the inner shorter than the others. Moral bracts olive-green, densely hairy. Sepals and petals 3 ; female sepals with crest, one a little shorter than the others, and narrow linear.

Bombay (Raux, Steude and Korniehe).

Strndel Lc. described the sepals as linear, not mentioning any crest. ICoerniche l.c. p. 652 wrote “ Planta raihi valde dubia, an mutato nomine jam descripta?”