Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). 33 
3. COMMELINA. Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 847. 
Inflorescence of 2(—1) cymes included (or partly included) within a 
folded or funnel-shaped spathe. Sepals 3, concave, obtuse. Petals 3, 
whereof 2 are long-clawed, the third dorsal and shorter. Stamens 
3-2 anterior perfect, 3-2 dorsal sterile with rudiments of the anthers. 
Ovary cells 2 anterior equal, 2-1 ovuled, dehiscent in fruit, the third 
dorsal 1-ovuled or empty or suppressed. Seeds 5-1 to the capsule; 
hilum linear, vertical.—Succulent weeds. Flowers fugitive, blue, white 
or yellow. The spathe is an ovate leaf-like bract, either simply folded 
flat with an acute (often curved) midrib (keel), or with the lower 
margin connate so as to form an oblique funnel, The lower cyme in 
each spathe has often only male flowers, and is. early caducous by an 
articulation or not rarely wanting ; the upper cyme has usually perfect 
flowers at the base, male at the top. ! 
Species 120, in all warm countries. 
The subgenus Didymoon below is well separated from Monoon—i.e., 1 know no 
case of the assigned character failing, The sectional groups pass, however, into each 
other. In Hu-Commelina the dorsal cell of the capsule is frequently sterile or nearly 
wanting ; while in Dissecocarpus there is frequently present a rudimentary dorsal 
cell which, in a few instances, has contained a small seed. So also, in Heterocarpus, 
though the 4 ovules of the 2 anterior cells nearly always fail to perfect seeds, in a 
few species the two upper ovules of these cells do produce seeds at least occasionally. 
The line between the sections Trithyrocarpus and Spathodithyros is (as Hua has 
shown) by no means absolute. The sections, nevertheless, appear to me to form fairly 
natural groups. In the description of the spathe it is supposed to be unfolded and 
viewed as a leaf flattened out. 
*“DipyMoon.—Ovnles 2 in each ventral cell of the ovary, 1 or 0 in the dorsal cell. 
t Eu-Commelina.—Capsule 3-celled, 2-valved; the dorsal valve deciduous with 
the included seed, but usually finally dehiscing. Seeds normally 5 to the 
capsule. 
{Spathe simply folded, the margins being free or only slightly connate at the very 
base. 
§Seeds reticulated; the margins of the subhexagonal cells raised and forming 
a continuous line round the depressed areoles ; corolla blue. 
Leaves elliptic to lanceolate, 
Leaves scattered ; spathes mostly peduncled . 1. C. nudiflora. 
Leaves close-packed ; spathes as though sessile 
on the leaf-sheaths . . ° . 2. C. Sabatieri. 
Leaves linear, 
Stems 5-10 ft. long ; seeds of the ventral cells 
Zin. long . : . : : . 3. C, scandens. 
Stems 1-2 ft. long; seeds of the ventral cells 
less than ;/, in. long. ° . 4. C. Gambia, 
§§Seeds pitted, obsenrely tubercled or wrinkled. 
Fertile stems hemiscapose, with 2 or 3 leafless 
sheaths . ‘ : : i : - §. C. scaposa. 
Fertile stems leafy. 
Leaves linear. 
Roots fibrous ; short-lived annuals. 
Leaves 2-3 in. long. . . . 6. C,subulata. 
Leaves up to 6—9 in, long. 
VOL. VIII. D 
