40) CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). [ Commelina. 
veins. Flowers hardly exserted from the spathes, violet (Schinz). 
Capsule + in. long, 5-seeded; seeds strongly tubercled, deeply 
wrinkled. 
Lower Guinea. Amboland ; in marshy places at Olukonda, Schinz, 21! 33! 
The flowers are violet in the tinely preserved specimens. 
10. C, purpurea, C. B. Clarke ex Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. 
xxx, 429. Nearly glabrous, except the spathes. Stems 15 in. high, 
with long internodes; base erect, thickened, almost woody ; roots 7 in. 
long, thick. Leaves 9 by } in. Spathes few, scattered, on peduncles 
exserted 0-1 in., simply folded, } in. long, ovate, acute with the tip 
nearly straight, some shaggy, some only slightly hairy, striated by 
chocolate-coloured parallel nerves. Racemes exserted from the spathes. 
Flowers chocolate-colour (Speke d: Grant). Capsule 5-seeded ; seeds 
moderately pitted.—C. nigritana, Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163, 
not of Benth. C. subulata, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 148 
partly, not of Roth. Commelina, sp. n. 2,T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, 
Append. 650. 
Nile Land. British East Africa: between Ndoro and Guaso Thegu, Gregory. 
Mozamb. Dist. (ierman East Africa: Unyamwezi district, by water, 3600 ft., 
Speke & Grant! 
In the dry examples, the spathes are very strongly striated by chocolate-coloured 
nerves, the petals are a deep purple, In the colours noted in the field of the flowers 
in this Order, a question often arises whether the petals, the anthers, or the spathes 
have caught the eye of the collector. 
11, C.nyasensis, (’. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Stems 12-20 in. 
long, much divided, rather slender, with very long internodes up to 
6-8 in. long; base of the stem (imperfectly preserved) appears similar 
to that of C. purpurea. Leaves 6 by } in., narrowly linear. Spathes 
scattered on axillary branches, approximate, sometimes many in dense 
clusters, less than } in. long, simply folded, broadly ovate, with a very 
short acute deflexed tip, striated by coloured veins (blue to chocolate in 
the dried plants), which are very prominent or nearly disappear in 
spathes on the same stem. Capsule 5-seeded ; seeds moderately wrinkled 
or pitted. 
Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Tanganyika Plateau, at 
Fort Hill, 3500-4000 ft., Whyte! Monganja Highlands, 4000 ft., Kirk ! 
12. C. ceelestis, Willd. Enum. Hort. Berol. i. 69. Minutely 
hairy. Stems 1-2 ft. high, erect at the base; roots thick, often clavate 
at the ends. Leaves 5 by 4-} in. Peduncles scattered, 1-1} in. long. 
Spathes 1} in. long, ovate-lanceolate, simply folded, often purplish or 
striate. Flowers blue, much exserted from the spathe. Capsule 5- 
seeded; seeds deeply pitted—cC. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 
153; efr. Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 369. 
Nile Land. British East Africa : Machakos, Scott-Elliot, 6387! 
Mozamb. Dist. British Centra) Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, Carson, 35 
between Lake Nyasa and Lake Tanganyika, 6000-8000 ft., Thomson ! 
Indigenous in Mexico. 
This plant is disposed to establish itself in various parts of the world. 
