Pharnaceum. PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA, 103 
Molluga spergularia sp. plant, 131, Burm, flor. Ind. 3. 
tsi f.4, 
Beng. Ghima Sag, or Shak. Shak means a pot herb. 
Common over India, generally a weed in gardens during 
the cold season. 
2. P. pentagynum. R. 
Annual, prostrate, dichotomous, hoary with stellate 
down. Leaves opposite, round. Flowers axillary. 
Beng. Doosera-sag. 
It appears during the cold and the beginning of the hot 
season, on dry land that has lately been, or is in cultiva- 
tion. 
Root perpendicular, seems fi ecual. Stem none, but nu- 
merous, alternate, jointed, dichotomous branches, spread- 
ing close on the ground, they are round, covered with 
soft, stellate pubescence, and from one to two feet long. 
Leaves opposite, petioled, obovate, or roundish, with 
smaller leaves in their axills; all entire and, like the 
branches, petioles, &c, hoary with stellate down. The flow- 
ers stand on the upper side of the branches between the 
insertions of the leaves, from two to six together, short- 
peduncled. Calyx five-leaved, the outside covered with 
stellate down, permanent. Corol none. Filaments gene- 
rally five, though sometimes more, even as far as ten, short, 
Siero round the base of the germ. Anthers two-lobed. 
above, conical, five-sided, five-celled, five-valved 
opening from the apex. Seeds numerous, reniform, orna- 
mented with regular lines of elevated points, inserted by 
a large white vesiculated umbilicus to the bottom of the 
capsule which is continued in a seemingly Fete Ss 
white filament reflected over the seed. 
The tender shoots are used by the natives in their cur- 
ries. 
It has the habit and appearance of Chews: oides 
or ot dictamnoides, but the number of stamens and at a 
