Dr. Arnott on some neiv or rare Indian Plants, 91 



latisve plus minusve distantibus, corymbis laxiusculis, ramulis 

 albo-tomentosis, sepalis albis. Wight, Cat. n. 1170. — d, cauli- 

 bus ramulisque dense albo-tomentosis, foliis subulatis subdistan- 

 tibus, corymbis laxiusculis, sepalis aurantiaceis. — P. aurea, 

 Wight, Cat. n. 2443. — e, ramulis tenuibus glabriusculis, foliis 

 setaceis subulatisve, corymbis laxis gracilibus. Wight, Cat. n. 

 1171. 



In compliance with Dr. Wight's lately expressed wishes, I 

 now unite P. corymbosa and P. spadicea of authors, and cer- 

 tainly he has had most ample opportunities of examining them 

 in all situations and under various appearances. At the same 

 time there is in general a peculiar habit about P. corymbosa, 

 by which it can be distinguished from all forms of the other 

 species : this, however, cannot so easily be expressed in 

 words. In P. corymbosa the root is always simple, and ap- 

 parently either annual or biennial : it is occasionally so in P. 

 spadicea ; but what is the case ? the stems are dichotomously 

 branched, which they seem never to be in the other species. 

 Again, in P. spadicea the plant is usually, perhaps always, 

 if not removed, sufFruticose, while I have seen no tendency to 

 that in P. corymbosa. The broad-leaved specimens, which 

 Dr. Wight and I referred to P. spadicea, appeared at first 

 sight to have simple stems ; but there are numerous fascicles 

 of leaves and rudimentary branches in the axils of the leaves, 

 so that these stems must be considered as the primary ones, 

 or axes, of a branched form. The proportions of the petals 

 and sepals are nearly the same in all the varieties. 



2. P. diffusa (Wight) ; suffruticosa ramosissima laxa diffusa gla- 

 briuscula, foliis fasciculatis linearibus, floribus cymoso-corym- 

 bosis, sepalis scariosis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis enerviis, pe- 

 talis sepala subsequantibus, stamina capsulamque acutam parum 

 superantibus. Wight, Cat. n. 2442. 



Hah. Prope Tuticoreen (Maio 1835), Wight. 



3. P. spicata (Wight) ; glabra, radice ad collum multicipiti, cau- 

 libus plurimis gracilibus diffusis foliorum pedunculorumque 

 fasciculos distantes 1 — 2 gerentibus, foliis radicalibus cauli- 

 nisque fasciculatis glaucis subcarnosis spathulato-oblongis acu- 

 tiusculis, floribus imbricatis spicatis, spicis paucis ad pedunculi 

 apicem fasciculatis, sepalis scariosis dorso uninerviis, petala 



H 2 



