A REVISION OF THE INDIAN SPECIES OF ROT ALA. 211 



Ammannia octandra, L. f. Suppl. (1781) 127 ; Roxb. Cor. PI. II (1798) 

 18, t. 133; DC. Prodr. 111(1828)80; Wight and Am. Prodr. 304; 

 Blume Mus. Bot. II 132; Dalz. and Gibs., Bombay Fl. (1861) 97 ; 

 Kurz in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. (1877), pt. II, 86; Clarke in Hook. f. 

 Fl. Brit. Ind. II (1879) 571 ; Koehue in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 1 (lh80) 250, 

 inEngl.Pflanzenr.lv, 216(1903)50; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. II (1894) 225; 

 Cooke Fl. Bomb. Pres. 1. (1903) 508 —A. coccinea Pres. Ench. I (1805) 

 147, non Rottb.^ — Ammannella linearu Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. I (1855) 619 

 cum descript erron. — Biplostemon octandrum Miq. 1. c. 616. 

 Stem 15-100 cm. long, erect, stifl', (the upper part 4-gonou8, the lower 

 part subterete and often woody), very narrowly 4-winged,the wings 

 minutely serrulate ; branches numerous, sharply quadrangular. 

 Leaves 20-80 mm. long, 2*5-10 mm. broad, sessile, sometimes sub- 

 acaminate, broadly linear or narrowly lanceolate. 

 Dichasium 1-3-flowered ; peduncle scabrous, central pedicel 1*5-5 mm. 

 long, lateral ones scarcely 1 mm. Calyx 3 5-6 mm. long, quadran- 

 gular, the angles winged and minutely serrulate, the faces between 

 the wings furnished with a distinct rib in the middle of each 

 face ; mouth nearly truncate or with 4 very short teeth ; cornua 

 short, horn-like, spreading. Petals 4, broadly obovate, upto 4 mm. 

 long, irregularly crenulate, rose coloured, veined. Stamens 8, 

 exserted, hlaments dark-red. Style nearly 3-times as long as the 

 ovary. 

 Capsule included in the calyx, globose-ellipsoid. 



Habitat : Madras Pres. : Ragapaliem, Godavari Dist., Feb. 1902 

 (Barber No. 4259 !), Kambam, Madura Dist., in fields. May (Blatt. 

 and Hall. No. 475 ! 3336 !). 

 Distribution : India, Ceylon, Java. (Judging from material in the various 

 Indian and European herbaria this seems to be a very rare species). 



>. Ammania auricvlatu, Willd. Hort. Berol. I (1806) t. 7 ; DC. Prodr. 

 Ill (1828) 80 ; Koehne in Engl. Bot. Jalirb. 1 (1^80) 244 et IV (1883) 

 389, in Engl. Pflanzenr. IV, -;16 (1903) 45.— A. raceinom Roth Catal. 

 bot. 11(1806) 25.—^. arenaria H. B. and K. Nov. Gen. VI (1^S0) 

 190 — A. sene(/alensisT)0. Prodr. Ill (1828) 77 sec. Guill. et Perr. {non 

 Lam.) ; Clarke in Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. II (1879) 570 ; Collet Fl. Siml. 

 (1902) 192 ; Duthie Fl. Upp. Gang. Plain 1 (1903) 350 ; Bamber in 

 Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. XX (1911) 811 ; Hiern in Oliv. Fl. Trop 

 Afr. II (1871) 477 (partivi).—A. avriculata Ledeb Fl. Ross. II (1844-46) 

 125; A. Rich. Fl. Abyss. I {l^Al) 21S.—A. pmilla Sond, in Linn;ea 

 XXIII (1848) 40.— .4. iVru/htii A. Gray in Smith. Cont. V (1853) 

 55. — A. lom/ipes C.'Yfr\g\\t in Souvalle Fl. Cubana (1868) 53.—^. 

 undulata C.A. Mey. in Ind. Hort. Petropol. IX (1842) 56. 

 Stem up to 57 cm. long ; stem and tranches winged in the upper part. 

 Leaves l'5-7 7 cm. long, 3-14 mm. broad, or the upper ones smaller, 

 the two lowest sometimes cuneate, the rest auriculate, linear or 

 sublanceolate, slightly acute. 

 Dichasia 1-3-15 — flowered, slightly lax ; pedicel of the central flower 

 3-17 mm. long. Calyx 15-2 mm. long, in fruit subglobose or almost 

 semi-globose ; lobes 1/3 or J the length of the tube : cornua minute, 

 at last evanescent, rarely almost as long as tho lobes. Petals 

 violaceous, purple or white. Stamens 4-8, inserted 3/4 — almost ^ 

 way down the tube, 1/3 or -| exserted beyond the lobes. Stylo up 

 to twice as long as the ovary. 

 Capsule 2-3*5 mm. in diameter, as long as the calyx-lobes or slightly 

 longer. 



