412 ME. C. B. CLA.IIKE OK 



DESCRIPTION OF THE WOODCUTS. 



Fig. 1. Horizontal section of capsule of C, obligua. 



2. „ „ C. Tugulosa, 



3. „ ,, C, communis, 



4. Two small seeds from one of the deliiscent cells of C. saUcifoIia, 



5. Large seed from the indehiscent cell of C. salicifolia, 



G. Horizontal section of a seed of C. obliqua perpendicular to its axis and 

 through the embryo. H the hilum. 



Sect- I. a. 



1, CoMMELYNA COMMUNIS, Kuuth^Lc. p. 36. — C. caespitosa, Roxh. 

 Flor. Ind. i. p. 174, 



Folia subglabra^ oblonga, acuminata. Spathae coraplicatse, cordatse, 



acutae, sparsae. Semlna 5, reticulata. 

 Hub. in Bengalia ubique. 



Lower pedicel with one or sometimes two flowers, occasionally 

 bearing no flower. Upper pedicel with from two to four flowers. 

 The innermost flower on the upper pedicel has an ovary, all the 

 others being generally male ; and hence there is generally but 

 one capsule to each spathe. The lower pedicel nearly always 

 carries male flowers only ; but rarely I have seen a capsule on 

 the lower pedicel, and once two capsules. 



The C commv/nis of Eoxb. is certainly {vide infra) the modern 

 C. obliqua ; and I judge, from his figure (t. 1307, in the Calcutta 

 Herbarium) of C. ccesj^itosa^ihdX Eoxb. so named our C. communisy 

 though it is strange that he should give Chittagong as the only 

 locality for it. Bth., in ' Hongkong Flora,' p. 376, reduces G. ccespi- 

 tosGy Eoxb., to C. salicifolia^ with a query. It is not C salicifolia ; 

 and it would be very remarkable if Roxburgh overlooked alto- 

 gether so common a plant as C communis. 



2. CoMMELYNX SALICIFOLIA., fCww^A, h c. p. 39; Roxb. Flor. Ind. i. 

 p. 172; Roxb, t. 1020, in Calc. Herb. 



Folia subglabra, anguste oblonga. Spathae complicatae, basi cordatae, 



longe acuminatae, praecipue subterminales. Semina 5, laevia. 

 Hab. in Bengalia ubique. 



Lower pedicel with one or two male flow^ers. Tipper pedicel 

 with from 3 to 5 flowers ; of the inner, two usually are perfect ; 

 hence generally there are two capsules in each spathe. 



This species has much larger flowers than C. communis; when 

 it gets among grass or bushes it becomes subscandent, and 

 throws out little branched succulent stems, running G feet or 

 more. Bth., in 'Hongkong Flora/ p. 376, and Thwaites, in 



