Pharnaceitm. pentandria trigynia. 103 



Molluga spergularia sp. plant. 131. Burnt, flor, Ind. 3. 

 t s.f. 4. 



Beng. Ghima Sag, or Shak. Sliak means a pot herb. 



Common over India, generally a weed in gardens during 

 the cold season. 



2. P. pentagynum. R. 



Annual, prostrate, dichotomous, hoary with stellate 

 down. Leaves opposite, round. Flowers axillary. 



Beng. Doosera-sag. 



It appears during the cold and the beginning of the hot 

 season, on dry land that has lately been, or is in cultiva- 

 tion. 



Root perpendicular, seems biennial. Stem none, but nu- 

 merous, alternate, jointed, dichotomous branches, spread- 

 ing close on the ground, they are round, covered with 

 soft, stellate pubescence, and from one to two feet long. 

 Leaves opposite, petioled, obovate, or roundish, with 

 smaller leaves in their axills ; all entire and, like the 

 branches, petioles, &c. hoary with stellate down. The floW' 

 ers stand on the upper side of the branches between the 

 insertions of the leaves, from two to six together, short- 

 peduncled. Calyx five-leaved, the outside covered with 

 stellate down, permanent. Coral none. Filaments gene- 

 rally five,though sometimes more, even as far as ten, short, 

 inserted round the base of the germ. Anthers two-lobed. 

 Germ above, conical, five-sided, five-celled, five-valved 

 opening from the apex. Seeds numerous, reniform, orna- 

 mented with regular lines of elevated points, inserted by 

 a large white vesiculated umbilicus to the bottom of the 

 capsule which is continued in a seemingly superfluous 

 white filament reflected over the seed. 



The tender shoots are used by the natives in their cur- 

 ries. 



It has the habit and appearance of Glinus lotoides 

 or dictamnoides, but the number of stamens and total 



