STEECULIACEAE. 277 



Great Guana Cay, Long Island, Great Ragged Island, Acklin's, East Caicos, Grand 

 Turk, Ambergris Cay, and Inagua : Texas ; West Indies ; North Mexico to continental 

 tropical America. The species is represented by many races of various leaf-forms 

 and sizes, finding their smallest development in the plants of Grand Turk, Ambergris 

 Cay and Inagua ; these are the subject of Grisebach's Helochia crenala, not M. 

 crenata Vahl. VELVETY MOLUCHIA. 



2. Moluchia pyramidata (L.) Britton, Mem. Brooklyn Bot. Gard. 1: 69. 1918. 

 Melochia pyramidata L. Sp. PI. 674. 1753. 



Subherbaceous, nearly glabrous, the young foliage somewhat pubescent; 

 stems slender, branched, ascending, decumbent or nearly erect, 2-6 dm. long, 

 the young branches with a line of pubescence. Leaves membranous, lanceolate, 

 ovate, or the lower nearly orbicular, 2-6 dm. long, sharply serrate, acute or 

 acuminate at the apex, mostly rounded or subtruncate at the base, the slender 

 petioles much shorter than the blades ; peduncles pubescent, 1-few-flowered, 

 about as long as the petioles, terminal or opposite the leaves ; calyx-lobes lance- 

 olate, 3-4 mm. long; petals pink, red or lavender, about 6 mm. long, obovate; 

 capsule inflated, membranous, 6-7 mm. long, sharply 5-angled, short-beaked, 

 each angle cuspidate at the base. 



Waste places and roadsides, New Providence : Texas : West Indies east to 

 Tortola, south to Grenada; Ciiragao ; Mexico; continental tropical America and Old 

 World tropics. SMOOTH MOLUCHIA. 



3. MELOCHIA [Dill.] L. Sp. PL 674. 1753. 



Herbs or shrubs, often stellate-pubescent, with petioled, serrate leaves and 

 small, sometimes involucellate ; perfect flowers in axillary or terminal glomerules 

 or panicles. Sepals or calyx-segments little enlarged in fruit. Petals convo- 

 lute, m'arcescent. Stamens opposite the petals; filaments more or less united 

 below; staminodia none, or rarely present and minute. Ovary 5-celled; ovules 

 2 in each cavity; styles distinct, or united near the base. Fruit a small 5- 

 coccous capsule, loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds with fleshy endosperm. [Arabic 

 name.] About 50 species, natives of tropical and subtropical regions. Type 

 species: Melocliia corchorifolia L. 



1. Melochia nodiflora Sw. Prodr. 97. 1788. 



Mougeotia nodiflora H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 5: 330. 1823. 



A shrub, 2 m. high or less, with slender ascending branches, the young 

 twigs sparingly pubescent. Leaves thin, ovate, 3-10 cm. long, serrate, glabrous 

 or nearly so, acute or acuminate at the apex, rounded, truncate, or subcordate 

 at the base, the slender pubescent petioles 1-3 cm. long; flowers nearly sessile, 

 in dense axillary subglobose clusters; calyx-lobes triangular-lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, 2-3 mm. long; petals rose, a little longer than the calyx; filaments united; 

 styles distinct; ovary 5-celled; young fruit deeply 5-lobed, at length separat- 

 ing into 5 pubescent carpels about 3 mm. long. 



Waste places, New Providence : West Indies ; tropical continental America. 

 MELOCHIA. 



4. WALTHEEIA L. Sp. PI. 673. 1753. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees, with siellate or simple pubescence. Leaves 

 toothed ; stipules narrow. Flowers small, perfect, usually in axillary clusters 

 or small cymes-. Involucel of 3 deciduous bracts. Sepals 5, united at the base 

 into a turbinate 10-nerved tube. Petals 5, spatulate, convolute, withering- 

 persistent. Stamens 5; filaments united below, not accompanied by staminodia; 



