THE COMMELTKACE^ OF BENGAL. 443 



' Ceylon Enumeration,' p. 321, lay stress on the shape of the odd 

 petal in this species in separating it from G. communis ; I believe 

 the seeds are infallible. 



Dr. Hasskarl, in ' Plantae Junghuhnianse,* p. 136, reduces this 

 species to C agraria. Apart from the decisive differences in the 

 seeds, the whole aspect and habit of Csalicifoliais so remote from 

 that of C. agraria that I do not think Dr. Hasskarl can ever have 

 seen C. salicifolia. At the same place Dr. Hasskarl has done his 

 best to involve C. communis sX^o in inextricable confusion : he says, 

 ' C, communis differt foliis elougato-acuminatis, supra scabrius- 

 culis, pedunculo altero 2-3- (nee 3-4-) altero subuni- (nee 2-) 

 floro, floribus omnibus hermaphroditis ;" a description that does 

 not apply to 1 per cent of the Bengal C. communis, and in which 

 he appears to me to have almost perversely fixed on the most 

 variable characters in the order, while omitting all reference to 

 the capsule and seeds. 



*2, CoMMELYNA SALiciFOLiA /3. MoxosPERMA, Semen unicum. 

 Hab, in sylvis Mudhopoor prope Daccam. 



The seed perfected is one of the upper ovules in one of the 

 2-ovuled cells. In the ripe fruit the three cells and four aborted 

 ovules are easily seen. The capsule is necessarily quite altered 

 in sliape from the ordinary C, salicifolia capsule ; and, moreover, 

 in my specimens the innermost flower on the lower peduncle had 

 an ovary which I have never seen in C. salicifolia, though it is 

 very likely to occur. The flowers in my specimens were white, 

 and the spathes had at the lower end on the inside long white 

 hairs. I only found it, on one occasion, in a remote place, and ar- 

 range it as a variety of O. salicifolia. It is an interesting variety 

 as helping us to a due appreciation of the genus Heterocarpus of 

 Wight. 



3. COMMELYNA BENGALENSIS, KuTlth, L C. p. 50 ; Roxb, Flor. Lid, 1. 



p. 171 ; Roxb, t. 1019, in Calc. Herb.; Wight, Icones, t. 2065. 

 Folia pilosa, ovato-elliptica. Spathse cucuUatse, turbinatae, sparsse. Se- 



mina 5 rugoso-punctata. 

 Hab. in Bengalia ubique. 



Lower peduncle usually with one male flower; often the pe- 



duncle 



duncle very constantly ^ 



capsules on eacb spathe. 



Upper pe- 



tliree 



Miquel 



this 



