648 MONOECTIA POLYANDRIA, Begonia. 
four, or many petalled. Capsules inferior, winged, or lobed, 
three-celled, many-seeded. 
1. B. malabarica, Dryand. in Trans, of Linn, Soc. i. p. 
171. 
Caulescent, herbaceous. Leaves unequally cordate, while 
young acutely serrulate-dentate ; peduncles axillary, many- 
flowered ; capsule without wings, four-lobed, four-celled. 
Tsjeria narenampuli, Rheed. Mal. ix. t. 86. 
Ram totee, the vernacular name at Chittagong, where it 
is indigenous, in moist cool vallies, Plants from thence have 
been feces into the Botanic garden at Calcutta, where 
they continue in flower the whole year, but chiefly in the 
rains. The natives of Chittagong, where the plant is plenty, 
use the leaves as a pot-herb; when fresh the taste is pleasant- 
ly acid, not unlike sorrel. 
Root perennial, succulent, throughout a pretty deep red. 
Stems herbaceous, several from the same root, sub-erect, from 
six to twelve inches high, succulent, round, jointed, and ra- 
ther swelled at the joints, marked with numerous, small lan- 
ceolar ferruginous, rather elevated specks, while young hairy. 
Leaves alternate, petioled, unequally or rather sub-semi-cor- 
date, acuminate, harsh with a few short, stiff hairs, with the 
margins, particularly while young,acutely and unequally ser- 
rulate-dentate, and minutely curled, from six to eight inches 
long, by four or five broad. Petioles rather shorter than 
the leaves, round, hairy and marked with ferruginous specks 
like the stems. Stipules oblong, stem-clasping. Peduncles. 
axillary, short, bifid, many-flowered. Flowers pretty large, 
particularly the female ones, drooping, of a very pale pink, in- 
deed almost white, sparkling, as if frosted ; sweetly fragrant. 
Bractes round the base of the pedicels, minute. Male ca- 
4yx none. Petals four, in opposite pairs, sub-rotand, the in- 
ner pair rather smaller by the size of a thin margin, which.in 
the large pair, forms a sharp, vertical rim round the unex- 
panded globular flower bud, Filaments from sixty to eigh- 
. 
