1880 Leaflets of Philippine Botany [Vol. V, Art. 94 



OPHIORRHIZA Linn. 

 Ophiorrhiza caespitosa fulva Elm. n. var. 



Loosely caespitose, biennial herbs; stems averaging 1 dm. 

 high, occasionally the older ones nearly twice as long and 

 creeping toward the base, crooked, frequently with few 

 stems arising from the same base, seldom branched, the 

 upper part soft fulvus hirsute, the basal portion dirty and 

 much less pubescent; roots fine, fibrous, scattered along the 

 lower sides of the creeping ground p;)rtion. Leaves opposite 

 though of very unequal pairs, chiefly horizontally spreading, 

 soft membranous, ovately lanceolate for the smaller and ovately 

 oblong for the larger ones, much lighter green upon the 

 nether side even in the dry state, only sparsely pubescent 

 on both sides except along the light fulvus nerves beneath, 

 usually clustered along the distal end of the stem or branch- 

 es, the larger lamina 4 cm. long by at least 1.5 cm. wide 

 below the middle, the acute to acuminate rather bluntly 

 pointed apex recurved, entire, the base obtuse or broadly 

 rounded, generally a trifle inequilateral ; midrib conspicuous 

 beneath by its hairs, scarcely caniculate above, with 5 to 7 

 much ascendingly curved lateral nerves, reticulations none; 

 petiole 1 to 8 mm. long according to the size of leaves, dense- 

 ly fulvus hirsute. Inflorescence erect or suberect, terminal 

 or from the uppermost leaf axil, upon short similarly fulvus 

 stalks which at the base is subtended by foliaceous bracts; 

 flowers in small umbellate clusters, subsessile or upon short 

 hairy stalks, subtended by greenish bracts; bracts laciniate, 

 3 to 5 mm. long, ciliate pubescent; calyx oblong, 2.5 mm. 

 long, bristly pubescent, terminated into 5 green linear I 

 mm. long teeth; bud corolla 3.5 mm. long, yellowish white, 

 obovoidly tubular, with sparse ciliate hairs on the exterior, 

 eventually separating into 5 lobes; stamens of the same num- 

 ber; filaments glabrous, inserted upon the basal portion of the 

 anthers, truncately oblong, 1 mm. long, basifixed; style 2 mm. 

 long, the lower portion glabrous, the upper one half lanceolate 

 and finely ciliate toward the apex; ovary crown glabrous, 

 with 2 fleshy lobes; capsule 6 mm. wide, one half as high, 

 tapering from base to lateral wings, sparsely brown hirsute, 

 dehiscing along the upper margins; placentae of each wing 



