Commelma. triandria monogynia. 171 



form head. Capsules two or three-celled. Seeds one or more. 

 Embryo simple, and furnished with a perisperm. 



1. C. communis. Linn, sp.pl. ed. Willd. 1. 249. 

 Polygamous, creeping. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, smooth ; 



spathes many-flowered. Petals unequal. Anthers dissimi- 

 lar. Capsules tricoccous. 



Beng. J?/ta kansh?ra. 



Ephemerum dipetalum. Kempf. amoen. p. 888. t. 889. 



This species is common over the low moist parts of India ; 

 flowering time the rainy season chiefly. 



Root fibrous. Stems numerous, creeping, dichotomous, 

 jointed, round, smooth ; length very various. Leaves alter- 

 nate, sessile on tubular, vaginated sheaths, ovate-lanceolate, 

 acute; margins waved ; smooth on both sides, with delicate, 

 parallel veins running lengthways on the under side ; from 

 two to four inches long; mouths of the sheathing petioles a 

 little ciliate. Spathes terminal, or sub-fasicled, semi-cordate. 



2. C. hengalensis. sp. pi. ed. Willd. 1. 250. 



Polygamous, creeping - . Leaves cordate. Spathes three- 

 flowered. Petals unequal. Anthers dissimilar. Capsules 

 three-celled, six-seeded. 



Ephemerum bengalense, &c. Pluck. 1. 27. J". 3. 



Beng. Kanshna, also Kanwraka. 



Like the last described, this species is a native of wet places 

 over Bengal, but much scarcer and smaller; flowering time 

 the same. 



Stems creeping, dichotomous, jointed, hairy. Leaves al- 

 ternate, petioled, cordate, nervous, a little hairy, about an 

 inch long: and three-fourths of an inch broad. Petioles 

 sheathing, hairy, and ciliate. Spathes terminal, and axillary, 

 of a shape between that of a short, inverted cone and falcate; 

 open on the upper side only ; each containing a common 

 peduncle of two hermaphrodite flowers, and a long pedun- 

 cled male one. Flowers small, bright blue colour. Calyx 



