374 XXVII. STERCULiACE^. (Maxwell T. Masters.) [Sfelochia. 



. 1. US. coTCliOTlfolla, Linn. ; Willd. Sp. PI. iii. 604 ; leaves oblong-ovate 

 serrate plaited base rounded or cordate, flowers in terminal or axillary heads, 

 •with bracteules intermixed, capsule globose. Roxb. Fl. Ind. iii. 13!| ; 

 Tkwniks Enum. 30; Wall. Cat. 1196 in part. M. truncata, WiUd. Sp. rl., 

 iii. 601. M. supina, L. Sp.Pl. 944. M. affiuis, Wall. Cat. 1198. M. pauciflora, 

 Wall. Cat. 1199. Riedleia corchorifoUa, DC. Prodr. i. 491 ; W. & A. Prodr. . , 

 L 66 ; Miq. Fl. Ind. Pat. i. pt. 2, 188 ; Balz. d- Gibs. Bomb. FL 24. R. trun- 

 cata W. d: A. I.e. 66. R. supina, DC. Prodr. i. 491. R. concatenata, JJO. 

 Prodr. i. 492. Visenia corchorifolia, S2Jren(j. Syst. iii. 30. V. concatenata, 

 Sj^rmcj. Syst. iii. 3C/. V. supina, Spreng. Syst. iii. 31. Melochia concatenata, 

 WaU. Cat. 1197. Sida cuneifolia, Eoxb. Ilort. Beng. 50.— Bheede Uort. 

 Mai ix. t. 73. '•' 



Generally distributed in the hotter parts of India from Kdmaon alt. 4000 ft. j' 

 Sikkim, Malacca and Ceylon. — Distrib. A widely difiused tropical weed. _ >'' 



An erect branching herb or undershrub, thinly stellate-hairy. Leaves i-o j^j 

 variable in form, rarely obscurely lobed, subglabrous above, thinly stellate-hairy 

 neath, base 5-nerved ; petiole 1 in. Stipules subulate-lanceolate, shorter *"*"."' 

 petiole. Sepals 4 in., lanceolate, acuminate. Petals obovate, white or pink, longert i^ 

 the sepals, Cajisule the size of a small pea, globose, exceeding the persistent ca'y^- 

 Variable. Wallich's M. offinis has the branches of the cyme lengthened and spike-ni.e 

 with flowers on one side only as in the form called concatenata. 



2. m. velVLtina,, Beddome Fl. Sylvat. t. 5 ; leaves cordate suborbicular 

 acuminate serrate, flowers in umbellate corymbs, capsule oblong ^-lo^^.^ ' 

 seeds winged. Yisenia uinbellata, Wight Ic. 509. V. tomentosa, mi- 

 PI. Ilohen. Exsicc. Riedleia tilisefolia, DC. Prodr. i. 491 ; ^«'2- *.^'!r 

 Bomb. Fl. 24 ; Mm. Fl. Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2, 188. GlossosDermum velutinura,; 



Wall. Cat. 1153. G.? cordatum. Wall. Cat. 1155. 



Widely distributed through the hotter parts of India 

 the CoNCAN and AvaI but often cultivated only. — Distk 

 Mauritius and Malay islands. 



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A shrub or tree, herbaceous portions stellate-hairy. Leaves 4 by 3 in., ^^^"^^^^ %-^^^ 

 hairy or glabrescent above, downy beneath, base 5-7-nerved; petiole 3 m. ^,^^^;^ 

 \ in., leafy, roundish. Panicles many-flowered, lax, terminal and axillary. ■*; ^j^^ 

 \ in. diam., pink. Calyx campanulate, lobes 5, deltoid-ovate, connate to aDou ^^^ 

 middle. -Pe/a& oblong, twice the length of the sepals. Stamens ^^^erted ^^^^^^^^ 

 petals on a lobed hjpogynous disk, filaments flat. Ovary 5-celled; stj^les D, oip 

 the petals. Capsule 4 in., 51obed, bristly. Seed solitary in each cell, wing asceuu o 



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M, PYRAMiDATA, Lxnu, occurs as an introduced weed in India. 



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12. WAZiTHERXA, Linn. 





^ Herbs or undershrubs. Leaves simple. Stipules narrow. Flowers sma ^ 

 in dense axillary or terminal clusters. Sepals 5, connate fe ow i . 

 bell-shaped tube. Petals 5, oblong-spathulate. Stavieus 5, tubular v^ 

 anthers 2-lobed, lobes parallel. Staminodes 0. , Ovary sessile. l-J^^^j^ 

 ovules 2, ascending; style excentric, stigma club-shaped. C/a/^fXj'ns flat, 

 1 -seeded. Seed ascending, albuminous; embryo straight, cotyleaou ^^ .. 

 radicle next the hilum.— Disteib. About 15 species, one or t^o oi , . 



are tropical weeds, the remainder are natives of tropical America. ^ .^^ 



1. W. indica, L. ; DC. Prodr. I 493. W. & A. Prodr. '^^ll^vT^; 

 Enum. 30; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. i. pt. 2, 187 ; Dal2. & Gibs.BmO-J''-,,^^ 



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