DicR.EA (Pet. Thuar.). 

 Gen. Char. Staminodes two, equal, linear, the 



Stamens two, monadelphous : 



Stigmas subulate, 

 Capsule several nerved. — ^Flowers ra- 



third usually aborting. 



anthers ovate ; pollen didymous. 



short, enth-e. 



dical, solitary, terminal, or racemose, (Tulasne Annal, 

 des Sciance 3d series, vol. ii. 1849.) 



1916-L 



Wai-lichii fTul., PodosL Wal 



ichii^ R. Br.), frond greenish, medium-sized (me- 

 liocri), lobato-crisped on tlie maj'gin, veined ; free and 



I 



dioci 



fi'uctiferous on the circumference : capsule obtuse, 



8-ribbed ; valves somewhat incurved at the apex, 



Silhet. The specimens were communicated by the 

 late I^Ir, Griffith. 



1916-2. DicR^A DicHOTOMA (Tul., Podostemon 

 dicJiotoinuSj Gard.), stems long, naked, compressed, 

 slender, flexible, sparingly and dichotomously branch- 

 ed : branches simple, long, nearly parallel, somewhat 

 flexuose, sparingly floriferous towards the apex : 

 leaves few, subulate, short, partly cohering : capsule 

 8-ribbed, ribs somewhat prominent. 



Pycarrah river, Neilgherries. 



Fronds linear, flattened, dichotomously branched : 

 branches attenuated towards the extremities : flowers 

 marginal : scales few, oblong lanceolate, long acumi- 

 nate : spathe 2-3-lobed, glabrous : capsule 8-ribbed. 



Gardner. Cal. Journal. 



In the former of these characters the appendages at 

 the foot of the pedicel ai-e called leaves, in the latter, 

 scales, the former appearing more consonant with ana- 

 logy, I prefer it to the latter ; I will therefore adopt it 

 in my new species and perhaps even when translating 

 Ml*. Gardner's characters. 



1916-3. DicR^A ^Y^GnTu (Tul,, Podost. WigJitii, 



Gardner), stems compressed, 2 -edged, flexuose, bud 

 bearing at the angles : leaves narrow linear, simple, 

 sheathuig at the base : capsule 8-striated. 

 Pycarrah river, Neilghemes. 



Fronds linear, flattened, flexuose, branched at the 

 base : flowers marginal, ieaves (squamae) numerous, 

 setaceous, long [about the length of the spathe] : 

 spathe irregularly lobed, glabrous : capsule 8-ribbed. 

 Gardner, 1. c. 



1916-4. DicR^A LONGiFoiaA (R. W.), stems com- 

 pressed, branched, alternately nodose : lower nodes 

 leafy only, terminal ones floriferous : leaves of the 

 lower nodes long linear, strap-shaped ; those of the 

 floriferous ones sheathing at the base, subulate above ; 

 two or three times the length of the 3-lobed spathe : 

 capsule 8-ribbed. 



Malabai', Rev. E. Johnson. 



In the figure the ai-tist has not, owing to having 

 selected a very small plant, shown the lower simply 

 leafy tubercles. 



1916-5. DicR^A EiGiBA (Tul., Podostemon rigi^ 



dusj Gardner), branches long, rigid, dichotomous, par- 

 allel, leafless ; the flowering ones compressed : flow- 

 ers secured with a double involucre (bis involu- 

 cratis, Tul,). 



Pycan'ah river, Neilgherries. 



Fronds linear, flattened, branchy towards the base : 

 flowers marginal ; leaves (scales, G.) few, distichous, 

 imbricating, ovate oblong, obtuse : spathe irregularly 

 lobed, glabrous ; capsule 8-ribbed. (Gardner.) 



There seems a discrepancy here ; the twice invo- 

 lucred flowers of the one, and the distichous scales of 



the other. The diffei-ence however is in the language, 

 not the thing described. Gardner's scales ai-e sheath- 

 hig and enclose the proper involucre like a second 

 one, but I rhw It as introducing a confusion of terms 

 to call them an involucre in one case, and not in all. 

 For myself, had I been writing original descriptions, 

 I would probably have used two terms to designate 

 the two series of parts, calling the exterior series, 

 coiTCsponding with Gai'dner's squama, either an invo- 

 lucre or bracts, the divisions of which could be de- 

 scribed, as leaves or bracts ai-e; and the interior, cor- 

 responding with Tnlasne's involucre, I would, with 

 Gardner, have called a spathe, and when, as in my Z). 

 longifolia^ I found, in addition, distinct leaves, would 

 have called them by that name. With the aid of 

 thi'ce terms, in place of two, the difficulty of dis- 

 tinguishing such species as it, would have been dimin- 

 ished, and we should not, as in the present instance, 

 had confusion of ideas introduced by misapplication 

 of terms. 



On re-examination I find the artist has correctly 

 represented the said scales or bracts, which are 

 sheathing at the base, and end in a fleshy pointed 

 cuspis or tooth, and not properly obtuse. 



1917-1. DicK^A ELONGATA (Tul., P. elongatu.%^ 



Gard.), stems sub-ligneous, terete, simple, very long : 

 leafy buds (gemnns foliosis) distichous, alternate; 

 the inferior ones floriferous, the upper ones sterile, 

 with longer, linear, entire, evaginate leaves; those 

 of the fertile ones reduced to a sheath : capsule 8-10, 

 striated with slender nerves. 



Rivers in Ceylon. In the Mahawalle Gunga below 

 Peradenia. 



Fronds cylindi"ico-capillary, very long, sparingly 

 branched : leaves fascicled, flattened, setaceous : flow- 

 ers marginal : spathe irregulai'ly lobed, glabrous : 

 capsule 8-ribbed. 



The drawing was taken from very old specimens, 

 the terminal fascicles of leaves of which, seem aU to 

 have disappeared. Mr, Gardner describes them as 

 nearly \ of an inch long, fascicled towai-ds the ex- 

 tremities of the fi-onds. 



1917-2. DiCR-aiA STTLOSA (R. W.), stems very 

 long, ramous, compressed, leafless: flowers distichous 

 on the margin : involucre 4-leaved, imbricating, dis- 

 tichous ; the exterior pair smaller, the interior, nearly 

 equaling the spathe obtuse, sheathing at the base sub- 

 cuspidate at the point : styles pubescent, equaling or 

 exceeding the ovary : capsule six-ribbed. 



Mountain streams, Malabar, Rev. E. Johnson. 



The styles in this species differ so much from all 

 the others I have seen, that I have thought it well 

 to call attention to this circumstance by naming the 

 species with reference to them. 



Podostemon (Mich). 



Gen. Char. Involucre (spathe, Gard.) elongated, 

 tubular, lacerated at the apex in opening. Stami- 

 nodes 3, linear, the middle one attached to the anther- 

 iferous filament, soipetimes wanting. Stamens two, 

 monadelphous. Pollen didymous. Stigmas linear, 

 acute, shoii. Capsule 8-ribbed. — Caulescent herbs, 

 leaves distichous, linear, entn-e: flowers terminal or as 

 if axillary. 



The artist has failed in two points to bring out 



the generic character — 1st, he has overlooked the 



stammodes, which are conspicuous enough when 



looked for and found, but are so thui and diaphanous 



{ 33 ) 



I 



