276 MU. A. AV. BENNETT ON THE GENUS IirDllOLEA. 



of a luiuute ciliation of tlie former, to their being densely co- 

 vered with a viscid glandular pubescence. In addition to its evi- 

 dently aquatic habit, marked by the whorls of rootlets from the 

 lower joints of its fistulose stem, sometimes extending to the 

 whole length of its under surface, the species is distinguished by 

 its linear sepals extending one-third beyond the corolla in the bud, 

 and being much longer than the ripe capsules. The small flowers, 

 with the petals reflexed, give the dried specimens a very Solanum- 

 like appearance. There is a characteristic drawing in Wight's 

 ' Indian Botany,' t. 167. The plant is of very general distribution 

 throughout Tropical Asia and Africa, extending from the Phi- 

 lippine Islands, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, "and Burmah, to Ceylon, 

 Tranquibar, Nepaul, and the Punjaub. In Africa it is recorded 

 from Congo, Senegal, the Niger, and Abeokuta. The glabrous 

 form appears especially characteristic of Ceylon ; and the African 

 specimens are marked by the peculiarity of the racemes being 

 much shorter, approaching in habit an unarmed form of II' jw^- 

 drivalvis, I am inclined to include under this species the plant 

 described by Loureiro in his ' Flora Cochinchinensis,' from Can- 

 ton, as H. inermisj and which has been doubtfully retained as a 

 distinct species by Choisy in his * Description des Hydroleacees, 

 and in the ' Prodromus,* but appears to present no distinctive 

 features. H. zeylanica has hitherto been described as confined to 

 the Old AVorld ; but in the Kew Herbarium I find specimens 

 gathered by Purdie " in moist places, Valle Durpar," Jamaica, and 

 with white flowers from New G-ranada, and one from Guiana 

 gathered by Schomburgk which I cannot dissociate from this spe- 

 cies, although the flowers are somewhat smaller and the habit more 



diff'use. If these specimens are correctly referred, this species i? 

 the only one (with the doubtful exception of //. glabra) common 

 to the two hemisi)heres. 



, 11. H. MULTiFLORA, Chois. (Tab. I. fig. 11.) 



Radix Ugnosa,fi brosa. Caulis suffruticosus, lignosus, decumbens vel pa- 

 tulus, vix pedera superans, tortuosus, ramosus, inermis, glaber vel mol- 



lissime puberuliis; ramuli nuiuerosi, ereeto-patuli, apice glanduloso- 

 villosi. Folia parva, linearia, 4-10 lin. longa, 1-2 lin. lata, glabra, petio- 

 lata, utriiique attenuata, integra. Flares parvi, confetti, in cymas nume- 

 rosas laterales foliosas dispositi, pedunculati; pedicelli glanduloso- 

 villosi. SepaZa luieaiia, l|-2 lin. longa, acuta, glanduloso-hirsuta, basi 

 vix eoalita. Cfl/?^fobilocularis, minima, orbicularis, biliueans, glabra, 

 membranacea. Semina Dermiilta. Tninutissima. loniritudinaliter striata- 



1. 



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