EXPLANATION OF PLATES 



VOL. v.— PART n. 



1763-64. PisoNiA ACTJiiEATA (Linu. V.georginoy 

 WaiL^ list 6768 ?) Shrubby, glabrous, armed, spines 

 axillary, hooked : leaves petioled ovate, tapering at 

 both ends or somewhat bluntly pointed ; flowers dioi- 

 cous : fruit clavate, 5 -ribbed ; ribs beset with viscid 



glands. 



A widely distributed, large straggling shrub, eveiy- 

 where, except the new shoots and young leaves (which 

 are finely pubescent) glabrous : branches armed with 

 axillary recurved very sharp thorns : male flowers 

 collected in axillary and terminal compact panicles ; 

 female panicles loose and spreading. 



Roxburgh relates that he and Dr. Konig were once 

 caught among its branches and, owing to its numer- 

 ous strong hooked prickles, found it no easy matter to 

 disengage themselves from its trammels, whence, not 

 being at the time aware of its being a described plant, 

 Konig, in his notes, gave it the name of Traggularia 

 Tiorrida. It is a native of both the East and West 

 Indies. 



I have doubtfully quoted Wall, list No. 6768 for 

 this plant from knowing no other Indian species ex- 

 cept the following, with which it can't be confounded. 



1765. PisoNiA MORiNDiFOLiA (R. Br. in Wall, list. 



shrubby or sub-arborec 

 )-acuniinate, glabrous, ( 



terminal 



green) 



slightly 5-lobed: stamens abont 8, imequal, partly 

 exserted : ovary usually sterile. 



I have only seen this plant in cultivation. It is 

 common in the gardens about Madras, and is called 

 there, Tree Lettuce. It rarely flowers, and I have 

 never seen the fruit. I believe it is known in the 

 Calcutta ^otanic garden nnder' the same English 

 name, but its native country is still unknown. The 



giving them the aspect of great panicles, hence, 

 I presume, Choisy's character, " pedunculis floriferis 

 laxam panciculam eflbrmantibus ; and again, "pani- 

 cul£e florum pedales;" both of which expressions 

 seem to me incorrect. The flowers, which are the 

 largest and most conspicuous of those of the Indian 

 species of this genus, arc a moderately deep-pink or 

 rose-colour; the fruit is beset with viscid glands. 



1767. Celosia akgentia (Moquin), herbaceous, 

 ramous, glabrous: leaves sub-petioled, linear lanceo- 

 late, or nearly linear (seldom ovate), acute: spikes 

 long peduncled, ovato-cylindrical or cylindrical, cus- 

 pidate : sepals longer than the bracts, slightly keeled, 

 somewhat 3-nerved: utricle ovate pear-shaped. 



In corn fields, but less fx-equent than the similar 



looking Chamissoa pyramidalis. 



The plant figured does not quite correspond with 

 the character, approaching in some points more nearly 

 to that of C cristata^ but departs as widely in others, 

 so that I feel some hesitation in determining to which 

 it ought to be referred. I believe however that it 

 may be viewed as a variety of C. argentia if the two 

 snecies are actuallv distinct, which mav perhans be 



doubted, but that is a point on which I refrain from 



opinion, 

 attention to this order, which I find a very diflScnlt 



one, owing to many of the species being so liable 

 to run into variations. 



1768. Celosia plxcheixa (Moq.), stem her- 

 baceous, branchy, ^abrous : leaves ovato-lanceolate, 

 ovate, or rhombio-ovate, acute, glabrous: spikes sim- 

 ple, interrupted, sub-flexuose: flowers sessile, soli- 

 tary: sepals longer than the bracts, acute, slightly 

 keeled, 1 -nerved: utricles pear-shaped. 



Courtallum, Neilghen^ies, and in moist soil in the 



leaves sometimes attain a great size, 8 to 10 inches vicinity of tanks and wet cultivation. 



long and 4 or 5 broad at the base. In taste some- 

 what resembles the Lettuce, but to my taste forms but 

 an indifferent substitute. The ends of the branches 

 being crowned with white leaves, when all the rest 

 are green, gives it a peculiar appearance, which, 

 added to free growth, seems to have rendered it 

 rather a favourite. It attains the size of a small 

 tree. 



This I believe is the ])lant meant by Mr. Brown, 

 and the name seems sufficiently appropriate. 



1 766. Boerhaa VIA BEPANDA (Wild.), stems diffuse, 

 climbing, glabrous : leaves cordato-ovate, sub-acumi- 

 nate; sinuately repand: peduncles axillary, solitary, 

 usually longer than the leaves, ending in a single 

 umbel of from 4 to 6 flowers : flowers conspicuous, 

 funnel-shaped, each supported on a longish pedicel; 

 stamens 3 or 4, exserted : fruit clavate, glandulose. 



A very common plant, widely distributed over 

 Southern India, usually found climbing to a great 

 extent in hedges and among bushes. In old plants 

 the leaves are not developed on the extreme branches. 



This species has been confounded with C. poly- 

 gonoides from which it is very distinct. The speci- 

 men represented is more luxuriant than those de- 

 scribed by Moquin Tandon, the spikes of which are 

 said to be only about 2 or 2 J inches long. 



1769. Chamissoa amida (Moq. not Mart.)^ stem 

 herbaceous, branchy, ascending, glabrous : leaves pe- 

 tioled, long obovate, somewhat cuniform, blunt or 

 sub-emai'ginate, terminating in a minute point: heads 

 of flowers lateral or t^rmmal, peduncled, somewhat 

 globose, compact: flowers short pedicelled: sepals 

 scarcely exceeding the bracts, very acute, slightly 

 keeled, l-neiwed: utricle ovate. 



In sandy soil near the sea coast, not nnfrequent : 

 flowering during the rainy and cool season. 



It will be seen from the analysis of this and the 

 following species, that they do not quite correspond 

 with the generic character, or rather, perhaps I 

 should say, that the character Is somewhat imperfect 

 as regarcis the infloresence of the Indian species. 

 Here we find the flowers in groups of 3 together 



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