FLORA OF THE INDIAN DEISERT. -j-js 



POLYGALACE^, 



Polyf/ala L. 



lolygala erioptera, DC. Prodr. 1 (182-il) 326. 

 Vern. N. : Chota bhekaria. 

 Loc. : Jodhpur: Jodhpur (Nos. 6883!, 6886!), Kailaua (Nos. 6897 ' 



6888 !), Mandor (No. 6892 !), Balsamand (Nos. 6893 !, 6894!) Osiau 

 (Nos. 6885!, 6891 !), Phalodi (No. 6905!), Bhikamkor (No.'6906') 

 Barmer rocks (Nos. 6884 !, n887 !, 6907 !, 6910!), near Badka (No! 

 6911 !), Kotda, rocks (No. 6898!). Jaisalmer : Between Phalodi and 

 Bap (No. 6902 !), 10 miles W. of Bap (No. 6890 !). Sodakoer (No. 

 6899!), iSodakoer, river bed (Nos. 6900!, 6901!), Loharki (No! 

 6903 !), Bada Bag ( No. 6904 ! ), Jaisalmer, rocky plateau ( No 



6889 !), Viujorai. rocks (Nos. 6896 !, 6895 !). 

 Distrib. : Trop. Asia, Arabia, Africa. 



Fl. and fr. in Oct. and Nov. 



Note :— Cooke (Fl. Bomb. Pres. I , 60) says the flowers of this species 

 are yellow. Our specimens have pale rose-coloured flowers, with the 

 tip of the keel- petal and the crest darker. There i.s little doubt 

 that our specimens belong to the same species as Cooke's, and we 

 have consequently placed them under F. enoptera, though provi- 

 sionally. We add the following characters to Cooke's description. 



Wings often obovate, generally rounded at the tip, sometimes with a 

 minute mucro, rarely subacate or distinctly acute ; colour pale 

 green or pale greenish rose, midrib always strong, green. 



Seeds greyish or brownish, covered with long, white, greyish or 

 brownish hairs, except at both ends. Strophiole galeate, with a 

 dorsal ridge and two lateral flaps, the former mainly white, (^lis- 

 tening, the latter generally yellow. In the angles on both sides of 

 the ridge there is a brown line. At the top of the helmet on each 

 of these lines there is generally a tuft of hairs, the whole structure 

 otherwise being smooth and shining. At the opposite end of the 

 seed there is a small tuft of very minute pure white hairs, visible 

 only when the seed is held vertically, suice the long hairs coverino- 

 the greater part of the seed project beyond the seed. ^ 



Foli/(/ala irrer/ularis, Boiss. Diagn. (1842) fasc. 1, p. 8. 



plateau (No. 6917 !), .Faisalmer, gravel (No. 6912!), Viniorai dunes 

 (Nos. 6913!, 6915 !). Very common. 



Distrib. • India, Baluchistan, Arabia, Kordofan. 



Fl. and fr. in Oct. and Nov. 



Note: — We add a few corrections and additions to Cooke's description 

 (Fl. Bomb. Pres. I, 61). 



The outer sepals broadly oblong, rounded at the tip, minutely cili- 

 olate. Sepals otherwise glabrous, scarious, pale greenish or rose, 

 with conspicuous green or purplish veins. Wings oblique. 



Margin of capsule transversely nerved (not striate). Seeds, when 

 ripe, nearly black, shining, very minutely punctate, hairy all over. 

 Nearthehilum a tuft of rather long stiff hairs A ring of similar 

 hairs round the truncate end. The intermediary region covered 

 with very short stiff hairs. The apex is clothed with a dense 

 c r.rpet of minute clavato transparent hairs. Hairs nearly white to 

 brownish grey. It is the part of the seed near the hilum that is 



