Bolamputty, December—but very sparingly in 
flower. Ihave not myself seen this plant growing, 
the specimens were brought by my collector. Ihave 
described the leaves as all radical and the flowers 
scapose, because they spring from the joints of run- 
ners, the plant being without stems. The leaves from 
the central tuberous root are larger than those on 
the runners, but otherwise quite the same and the 
peduncle springs as a short scape from the joint. 
2088. CYANOTIS DECUMBENS (R. W.), decumbent, 
very branchy, woolly all over, especially the sheaths 
of the leaves : leaves linear lanceolate, bluntish ; above 
sparingly, beneath densely woolly; sheaths short, 
loose: peduncles axillary and terminal, solitary or 
two or three aggregated, longer than the leaves: 
Spike short, 4-6 pairs of imbricating falcate bracts : 
calyx 3-parted, woolly, as long as the capsule: fila- 
ments bearded, simple: style glabrous, tumid at the 
apex, capsule furnished on the apex with a tuft of 
rigid hairs. 
Quilon, Malabar.—I begin now to entertain doubts 
whether I ought not rather to view this as a very 
luxuriant form of the preceding than as a distinct 
species. 一 
These six species all coincide in the peculiarity of 
having pink-coloured flowers. They are all very 
nearly allied, so nearly indeed that it seems not im- 
probable some of them will yet be reduced, but so 
far as my present materials enable me to judge, they 
seem all distinet and readily distinguishable. 
2088. CYANOTIS VAGINATA (R. W.), erect or as- 
cending, very ramous : lower part of the stem clothed 
with the persistent sheaths of aborted or fallen leaves: 
leaves sessile, somewhat stem-clasping, ovato-lanceo- 
late, acute, clothed on both sides with long slender 
hairs: peduncles axillary and terminal, solitary or 
aggregated : spikes 10-14-flowered : calyx lobes lan- 
ceolate acute, filaments simple, bearded : stigma sub- 
capitate : capsule 3-celled ; 3-valved, valves decidu- 
ous, separating from the persistent 3-lobed placenta, 
seed two in each cell, superposed. 
Malabar. 
This and the two following species present the un- 
usual peculiarity, met with in some Euphorbiaceæ, of 
throwing off the valves of the capsule, leaving the 
placentary axis in its place. The upper half of the 
placenta, that above the insertion of the seed, is 3- 
lobed and has a loose cellular texture, the lower half 
is firm. This feature marks these as constituting à 
distinct and peculiar group. 
2089. CYANOTIS PAPILIONACEA (Rem. and Sch.), 
stem creeping, leaves linear lanceolate ; pilose beneath, 
ciliate near the base : sheaths short, loose : peduncles 
axillary, terminal, pilose on one side, solitary or two 
or three aggregated, about the length of the leaves: 
spike 4-12-flowered : bracts 2-6 pairs, ciliate, falcate : 
filaments bearded, simple: stigma clavate: valves 
of the eapsule separating from the persistent axile 
placenta. 
Malabar. The Commelyna papilionacea of Bur- 
mann, the type of this species, is a very obscure plant, 
rendered still more so by the figure he has given to 
illustrate it, which seems more calculated to mislead 
than aid in recognizing his plant. In naming this 
species I have been guided rather by Kunth's de- 
scription than the figure, and as they seem to corres- 
pond, so far as the description goes, I trust I have 
given the name to the right object. 
2089. Cyanotis BURMANNIANA (R. W., Com. cris- 
tata? Burm. not Linn.), creeping, diffuse, branched: 
branches filiform, pilose: leaves sheathing, sessile, 
ovato-lanceolate, obtuse, villous: peduncles axillary 
and terminal; solitary or aggregated, longer than the 
leaves: spikes secund, 8-12 or more flowered : bracts 
4-6 pairs, falcate, ciliate : lobes of the calyx lanceolate 
acute: filaments bearded: style simple, not tumid 
at the apex: stigma sub-capitate, placenta separat- 
ing from the valves of the capsule, persistent, lobes 
subulate. 
Quilon, Malabar. 
I quote with doubt, Burmann’s figure, though, I 
think, I may almost do so with confidence, at least 
with as much confidence as it would be safe to quote 
any of his figures of Commelyna, which seem all 
miserably bad. But bad as it is, I cannot reconcile 
myself to receive it as a figure of the plant, repre- 
sented in plate 1, Flora Zeylanica, and given as the 
true cristata by Linnæus himself. 
Govinpoora. (R. W.) 
Gen. CHAR. Lateral sepals connate to near the 
apex; dilated-sack-like at the base: posterior one 
like the petals and free to the base. Lip posticous 
ovato-obtuse, quite entire, embraced and concealed 
by the larger connate sepals, calcarate : spur enclosed 
within the sack of the sepals. Column elongated, 
stigma beaked, two-cleft. Anther dorsal, two-celled : 
pollenia two-beaked ending in a long slender caudi- 
culus and oblong stigmatic gland.—A terestrial, erect, 
somewhat branched plant: leaves sheathing at the 
base, sessile, broad ovate acute, coarsely plicately- 
nerved, glabrous. Spikes terminal, compactly many- 
flowered ; each flower supported by a longish subu- 
late bract. 
This plant seems evidently to belong to Lindley's 
division Cranichidz though differing in its prolonged 
rostrate fertile, not truncated, rostellum, but so far as 
I can discover, does not enter into any of the genera of 
that tribe on which account I have made it the type 
of a new genus, the essential distinguishing feature 
of which is the remarkable conformation of the late- 
ralsepals. These are respectively so much produced 
that by their union they are enabled to form a sack, 
at first sight resembling the spur, so common in the 
order, but which, when opened, is found to contain 
the proper spur. This of itself, seems to me, to 
constitute a very sufficient generic distinction and, 
when added to the very long column and tapering 
rostellum, so different from the truncated forms com- 
mon to this division of the tribe, the tapering filiform 
caudiculus, and the oblong stigmatic gland of the 
pollinia, leaves no doubt of this being a very distinct 
genus. 
I have dedicated it to the artist whose facile 
pencil produced the drawings for the greater part of 
the plates of the last three volumes of this work, and 
whose skill in analytical delineation is, I believe, as 
yet quite unrivalled among his couutrymen, and, but 
for his imperfect knowledge of perspective, rarely 
excelled by European artists. 
Three Indian Botanists have now essayed to com- 
memorate in this way the botanical merits of deserv- 
ایت 
