Spermacoce. TtxRANDRiA monogynia. 



375 



blossoms and ripens its seed from September till February and is 

 by far the prettiest Spermacoce I have yet met with. 



Stems erect, perfectly straight, round, smooth. Branches oppo- 

 site, and like the stems, whole height about three feet. — Leaves op- 

 posite, sub sessile, lanceolate, smooth, entire; from one to three inch- 

 es \oug.— Connecting membrane divided into several subulate seg- 

 ments.— CVj/wi^s terminal, compound and decompound.— F/oaws 

 numerous, large, pale p'mk.-^Bractes small, and at the divisions of 

 the coryndjs chiefly. — Cali/x one of the four segments large, all the 

 segments permanent.— CoroZ funnel-shaped, before expansion the 

 ape.x is large, with four-horns \ after expansion these projections fornj 

 a conical knob under the apex of each segment. Mouth of the tube 



bearded — filaments short; anthers linear, just within the tube • 



Germ two-celled, with one seed in each, attached to the top of the 

 partition ; sti/le longer than ihe tube of the corol ; stigma bifid, 

 segments re\o\uie. — Capsule oblong, crowned, two-celled, two-valv- 

 ed ; valves keeled on the back. Seed solitary, longitudinally groov- 

 ed on the middle of the inside. 



Obs. It may be readily distinguished from S. teres (the only 

 species known to me that it can be mistaken for) by its smoothness, 

 greater size of the flowers, and the segments of their border being 

 enlarged with a conic knob on the outside of their points. 



6. S. lineata. R. 



Erect, ramous, hairy. Leaves short-petioled, lanceolate, acuminate, 

 linear. Stipules triangular and shaggy. Lleads axillary on trichoto- 

 mous short peduncles ; stamina protruded. 



A native of the Moluccas. The lineate, hairy, very acute, taper- 

 ing leaves, long shaggy triangular stipulaj; and small peduncled heads 

 of axillary flowers readily distinguish this species from all the other 

 East Indian species known to me. 



7. S. nana. R' 



Erect, simple, nearly round and smooth ; leaves petioled, lanceo- 

 late, ewhie, smooth j Jiowers axillary and terminal, sessile, crowded. 



