TUE COMMELYKACEJE OF BE:^GAL. 439 



capsules, and from the number, form, and sculpture of the seeds. 

 I do not assume that these characters are absolute ; but I am 

 satisfied that they are far more trustworthy than those usually 

 depended upon by authors j and, moreover, they can readily be 

 worked on dried specimens, unless, as is too often the case, the 

 fruiting specimens have, in order to mate the leaves prettily flat, 

 been dried under such pressure as to crush the capsules and 



scatter all the ripe seeds. 



As I enumerate only twenty-five species in all, I have not 

 attempted to rearrange the genera of the order or to discuss 

 questions of nomenclature, but I have reduced my materials on 

 Kunth's ^Enumeratio' as a standard- This work is still the 

 most useful catalogue of the order ; and I hope that by adopting 

 the genera and names in it I shall facilitate reference. 



The allegations in the following paper are stated absolutely, 

 for brevity only ; and with each must be supplied the limitation, 

 " in my opinion,'' and " so far as I have at present seen." 



Genera and Species described. 

 CoMMELYNA. C. communis, C. salicifoha, C. Bengalensis, C. Kurzli 



(n. sp.), C. Rajmahlensis (n. sp.), C. obliqua, C. Simsoni (n. sp.), C. 



rugulosa (n. sp.)« 

 Anilema. a. scapiflorum, A. herbaceum, A. nanum, A. nudiflorum, 



A. ensifolium, A. vaginatura, A protensum. 

 PoLLJA. P. indica, P. subumbellata (n. sp.). 

 DiTHYROCARPUS. D. paniculatus, 



Cyanotis. C. axillaris, C. cristata, C. barbata, C. nodiflora. 

 Streptolirion. S. volubile. 

 Forrestia. F. Hookeri, F. glabrata. 



CoMMELYKA, KuntTi, Euum. 



Ileterocarpus, Wighty inch 



Stamina 3 perfecta (quorum unum dissimile), 3 vel 2 sterilia dif- 

 forniia. Ovula 5 vel 3, 2. Pedunculi 2 (quorum unus baud 

 rare rudimentarius vel obsoletus) ex spatha complicata aut 

 cucullata orti eaque subinclusi. Capsula 5-l-8perma. 



Sect. I. Capsulge loculi 3, quorum unus clausus. 



«. Ovula 6. Semiua (nisi casu) 5 ; in C. salicifolia ^, semen abortu 



unicum. 

 b. Ovula 3. Semina (nisi casu) 3j in Heterocarpo semen abortu 



unicum. 



Sect. II. Capsulac locuh 3 aut 2, omncs <lulusccntcs. Ovula et semiua 

 tot quot loculi. 



