Commelina, triandria monogynia. 175 



1. C, communis. Linn. Sp. PI. ed. iVilld.l. 249. 



Polygamous, creeping. Leut^es ovate-lanceolate, smoolb^ spathes 

 many flowered. Petals unequal. Aulhers dissimilar. Capsules tri- 

 coccous. 



Beng. Jwta-kanslu'ra. 



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



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

 ering time the rainy season chiefly. 



Root fibrous. — Stems numerous, creeping, dichotomous, jointed, 

 round, smooth ; length very various. — Leaves alternate, sessile on 

 tubular, vaginated sheaths, ovate-lanceolate, acute; mnrgias v^aved; 

 smooth on both sides, with delicate, parallel veins runing lengthways 

 on the under side ; from two to four inches long ; mouths of the 

 sheathing petioles a little ciliate. — Spathes terminal, or sub-fasicled, 

 seir^-cordate. 



2. C. hengalensis. Linn. Sp. PI. ed. Willd. 1. 250. 



PolygamotiSy creeping. Leaves cordate. Spathes diree-flowered. 

 Petals unequal. Anthers dissimilar. Capsules three-celled, six-seeded. 



Ephemerum bengalense, &c. Phick. 3. ^l-f. 3. 



Pence. Kanshira, also Kamwaka. 



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

 Bengal, but much scarcer and smaller; flowering time the same. 



Stems creeping, dichotomous, jointed., hairy. — Leaves alternate, 

 petioled, cordate, nervous, a little hairy, about an inch long and three- 

 fourth of an inch hro^n'^.— Petioles sheathing, hairy, and ciliate. — 

 Spathes terminal, and axillary, of a shape between that of a short, in- 

 verted cone and falcate ; open on the upper side only ; each contain- 

 ing a common peduncle of two hermophrodite flowers, and a long-pe- 

 duncled male one.— Flozoers small, bright blue colour, — Calyx as 

 in the former, — Carol three-petalled ; two of them larger, and long- 

 clawed, as in the furmer species, the third small, and sessile, but 

 coloured. — Nectary, stamens and pistil as in C. communis, only 

 the style is here beautifully spiral. — Pericarp three- celled, three-yalv- 

 ed, with generally two seeds in each cell. 



