subsequent and more careful examination brought to 

 light. Feeling now satisfied tliat the differences be- 

 tween them are not of specific value, I have adopted 

 his name and beg the favour of the reader to change 

 that on plate. To me it appears that excellent char- 

 aiters are occasionally derived from the staminodes, 

 but which Moquin generally throws into the back 

 ground by not introducing them into the body of the 

 character. Those derived from them and the bracts 

 seem alone nearlv sufficient to distinsruish this species 



1783, Pup ALIA oreiculata (R. W., Achyran^ 

 thes orbiculata^ Heyne, Wallich, Cyathula orhiculata^ 



Moquin), "stem prostrate: leaves orbicular, retuse, 

 acute at the base, short petioled, densely villous when 

 young, becoming smoother by age : fascicles densely 

 tomentose, many-flowered, globular, remote, with long 

 brown bristles." Wallich in Roxb. Fl. Ind. Carry 

 Edit. 2. 507. 



On sandy soils near the sea beach, not uncommon, 

 near the mouth of the Adyar south of Madras. 



from all the rest, and as these organs in my plant An extensively spreading procumbent plant, the 

 correspond with Blume's chai'acter I deem it right branches being often several feet long, round, pube- 

 to refer it to his species, though geogi'aphically &o scent or, in older plants, nearly glabrous, of a light 



widely separated. 



brownish-green colour: leaves obovato-orbicular or 



1780. Centrostachys aquatica OVall,), leaves spatlmlate, very obtuse, when full-grown coriaceous 

 lanceolate, acute, roughish pubescent: spikes long: ^^^ ^^f^^ glabrous, spikes terminal, long, at first 



flowers pentandi'ous, with five staminodes furnished 

 with a dorsal fimbriated appendage. 



Northern Circars. I am indebted to Captain Camp- 

 bell, 50th Regt. N. I., for the specimen from which 

 the drawing was taken. As I have never met with 

 this plant in the Southern Provinces, I infer it is rare 

 or perhaps does not extend so far south, though 

 Roxburgh says it is a native of CoromandeL As a 



genus, Centrostachys is separated from Achyranthes 



on account of its pungent perianth, having one of the 

 sepals longer than the rest, membranous bracts and 

 the staminodes ftu'nished on the back with a fim- 

 briated appendage. Shoiild these be deemed insuf- 

 ficient, I would add that, in this species at least, the 

 albumen is perfectly farinaceous and not, as in the 



species of Achyranthes, breaking into larger granular 

 fragments as exhibited in the preceding plates. 



The angular figm*e in the comer between figs» 8 

 and 10 represents a poi'tion of the testa highly mag- 

 nified. It is certainly like the object seen, but on too weed in many gardens. 



compact, but becoming interrupted as the plant in- 

 creases in length : fascicles of flowers capitate, densely 

 tomentose: bristles when fuU-giown not simple, as in 

 Cyathula^ but compound, or as it were pinnate, pale 

 brown, sepals oval acute, S-nei'ved, very hairy on 

 the back. The albumen in this coincides in structure 

 with that of Achyranthes, 



1784. Gomphrena globosa (Linn.), stem herba- 

 ceous, erect, very branchy, somewhat trichotomous, 

 round, hairy: leaves short petioled, oblong-ovate or 



tending to obovato-lanceolate, acute, mucronate, en- 

 tire, pubescent: peduncles simple; heads terminal, 



erect, solitary or sometimes 2 or 3 together, globose, 

 2-leaved: flowers shining, purple: calyx shorter than 

 the lateral boat-shaped bracts: sepals acute, 1-nerved, 

 villous. 



Cultivated every where, and known under the 

 English name of Batchelor's buttons, now quite a 



small a scale for perfect accuracy of delineation, 

 1781. Cyathula tomentosa (Moq 



This plant, properly speaking, does not merit a place 

 in a work on Indian Botany, as it is certainly not 



/.,././.f +^'r..^«+^.^ -K^.^v.^./.., ^r.»«;i Ar.r. 1 I *^^^^"->^' ittdigcnous to India, but it seemed desirable to intro- 

 erect, tomentose ; branches round, densely tomentose: ."^ a r.iar.f .^ ^..^ot-on^ br.nw» a^H w TT.n=f ^..^ 



acummate, .^ ^, ^ 



above pubescent, rusty coloured; beneath clothed with 

 silky yellowish wool: spikes long, obtuse, thick, com- 

 pact above, interrupted below: sepals 5 -nerved, pilose, 

 villous at the apex: hooked bristles (glochids) 3-5, 

 shorter than the calyx, pale yellow : staminodes near- 

 ly as long as the filaments, ciliate on the margin. 



Simla, Countess Dalhousie. I am indebted to the 

 late Countess Dalhousie, for the opportmiity of in- 

 troducing this genus, which I have not met with in 

 Southern India, though it would appear Hayne was 

 more fortunate, as it Is described by Roth from speci- 

 mens received from that excellent Botanist. 



1782. Cyathula capitata (Moq.), herbaceous? 

 erect, glabrous or slightly pubescent; branches 4- 

 sided: leaves petioled, oval acuminate, pubescent on 

 both sides, deep green : heads of flowers globose, com- 

 pact: flowers shining (when di'y), dark yellowish- 

 brown: sepals glabrous, somewhat villous below: 

 hooked bristles 5-9^ somewhat longer than the calyx, 

 glabrous above pilose at the base: staminodes about 

 half the length of the calyx, bifid at the apex. 



Simla, Countess Dalhousie. I feel some hesitation 

 in referring my plant to Moquin's species on account 

 of some differences in the structm-e of the flowers, 

 but as these are microscopic, while the more easily 

 recognised features all agree, I do not think I would 

 be justified in assiimin^ to them snecifir. valnp. 



duce a plant so generally known and by most per- 

 sons supposed a native; the more so, as it differs so 

 widely m its generic chai'acters from all the Indian 

 genera of the order. Here the filaments are united 

 into a tube with the staminodes, exceeding in length 

 the style and deeply- cleft stigma. In other respects 

 it is a true member of the fannly. 



r 



1785. CoMETEs SuRATTENsis (Bm'm.), Icavcs cuui- 

 ate obovate or elliptic: branchlets smooth: stipules 

 borne on the petiols: ramuli of the involucrum of 

 the fruit fascicled, the lower ones deflexed. R. Brown 

 in Wall. PL As. rar. 



Scind, Stocks. 



This curious genus is still unknown on this side 

 of India, but as it may possibly exist here, in the 

 same parallel of latitude, I feel much indebted to 

 Dr. Stocks for giving me an opportunity of intro- 

 ducing it into this work. For, though it is now well 

 known to Botanists who have an opportunity of con- 

 sulting the very characteristic figure in WaUich'g 

 splend&d work, yet, as I fear few of my readers 

 possess that advantage, I think it well to give it a 

 place here. The genus is an old one founded by 

 Burman, FL Ind. 1768, but until the publication of 

 Mr. Brown's paper, was virtually unknown, Bur- 

 man's character, adopted by Linnaeus, being incor- 

 rect and his specimen, even when examined by Dc 

 CandoUe, being pronounced a species of Piipalia. 



( 4 ) 



