Page:The Journal of Indian Botany.djvu/70

48 twice as long as the leaf or more when fully grown, and many flowered. The two inner large sepals (wings) are membranous-margined, ovate, acute, glabrous and slightly longer than the capsule. The capsule is small, slightly oblique, not margined, glabrous and rigidly ciliated on the margin and emarginate. Seeds are oblong and strophiolate without wings or sometimes the two arms with very obscure wings.

Fig. C., p. 46, 1. branch, 2. a bit of a leaf with cilia, 3. a bit of stem, (D) branch of the broad-leaved form. Text fig. 3. Parts of the flower. 1. flower-bud, 2. open flower, 3. petals, stamens and ovary, 4. ovary, 5, fruit, 6. fruit cut open, 7. seed.

This plant is described as Polygala ciliata (L) by Wight and Arnott in their Prodromus Vol. I p. 38, and it is renamed as Polygala bolbothric by Mr. Dunn (vide Kew. Bulletin No. 3, 1916, p63). The name Polygala ciliata (L) could not be retained as this was applied to a species of Salomonia by Linnaeus. Evidently the plant referred to by Wight and Arnott in their Prodromus cannot be Polygala ciliata L. and the synonym should be Polygala ciliata of W. & A. Prodromus i.38.

The form here described has long linear leaves and this was abundant here. The other form which is more common has ovate or obovate leaves.

4. Polygala chinensis L.—This can be distinguished from the others easily. The flowers of this species are yellow, the fruit is rounded, broader than long, the seeds are ovate oblong, plumpy and the strophiole is provided with well developed wings.

Text fig. 4.—1. flower-bud, 2. open flower, 3. petals and ovary, 4. fruit, 5 fruit cut open, 6. seed.