® Anthistiria. triandria digynia. 249 



ed with a boat-shaped spathe or bracte, and consists of four, 

 sessile, neuter, two-valved florets in a verticil ; above these 

 are two more, but much smaller, on short pedicels, with one 

 sessile, awned, hermaphrodite one in the centre, on a short 

 scaly receptacle. Calyx two-valved, the exterior valves of 

 the lower four neuter florets bearded, of the hermaphrodite 

 ones boat-shaped, and very obtuse. Corol of the hermaphro- 

 dite flower two-valved, with a long, ferruginous, straight 

 arista. 



Obs. It differs from A. ciliata in being an extensively scan- 

 dent, perennial plant. 



4. A. heteroclita. R. 



Culms leaning, geniculate. Leaves ciliate. Involucres 

 five-flowered, two awned hermaphrodite ones, and three ci- 

 liate male ones. 



This is one of the smallest of the genus, a native of newly 

 made pasture land in the vicinity of Calcutta, where it ap- 

 pears about the close of the rains, and during the cool season. 



Culms annual, erect, or leaning, geniculate, smooth, and 

 coloured ; from twelve to twenty-four inches high. Leaves 

 ensiform, soft and hairy. Sheaths much shorter than the 

 joints. Panicles copious, hirsute, composed of numerous 

 small umbells and these in general of five Or more umbellets, 

 the former with a common cymbiforin, bristly involucre, and 

 the latter with a small, proper characteristic involucre, equal- 

 ly bristly ; all the bristles have a round bulbous base. Um- 

 bellets five-flowered; the two hermaphrodite ones awned, 

 and the three male ones pedicelled, and awnless; one of the 

 former is sessile below, with a pedicelled male one by it; the 

 other elevated on a common peduncle, embraced by the other 

 two male ones on their proper pedicels, in all of them the 

 calyx is two-valved, no corol, the arista in the hermaphrodite 

 flowers excepted. 



Obs. This species may be immediately distinguished by its 

 umbellets being composed of two hermaphrodite awned 



