140 THE JOURNAL OE INDIAN BOTANY. 



show that the last named species is extremely variable in this res- 

 pect, every intermediate form being found from large conical heads 

 with short reflexed bracts to small flat heads with long bracts. It 

 is clear therefore that, at least with this species, the relative length of 

 the involucral bracts is of varietal rank only. But if this be so then 

 perhaps it is also with other species ; and the peculiar Burmese plant 

 E. Martianum Wall, should be considered a variety of E. quin- 

 guangulare, not as either a distinct species or a proliferous of state 

 {cp. Hooker (1) p. 582.) A similar but less pronounced lengthening of 

 the involucral tracts appears in two other species, in other respects 

 widely separated, E. gracile Mart, and E. cuspidatum Dalz. At the 

 same time extreme variation of this kind should probably be consi- 

 dered specific— e. g. in E. xeranthenum Mart. -and E. roseum, as also of 

 course when accompanied by differences in the flowers {E. Ediuardii). 

 But it is clear that the form and length of the bracts is not in itself 

 of ' sectional ' ranks as Koerniche supposed. 



The colour of the involucral bracts is some guide, as in the separa- 

 tion of what I take to be E. atratnm Koern. from E. subcaulescens 

 Hook, f., but it is an uncertain one, the black colour fading often out of 

 these bracts with age. On the other hand the scarious, usually straw- 

 coloured, floral bracts of some species are easily distinguished from 

 the more common black with white hairs. The difference is definite, 

 with no merging, and I take it to be of ' sectional ' value. Black 

 bracts are usually hairy and scarious bracts glabrous, but there are 

 exceptions. 



Hairs on the receptacle are a constant feature of most species, but 

 are partly or altogether absent from others ; and Hooker made use of 

 this in the F.B.I. This difference accompanies others of ' sectional ' 

 rank, but may occur inside the section and is I believe of only secon- 

 dary importance. Another character to which Hooker gave some im- 

 portance is the length of the pedicel (stipes.) I am not able to follow 

 him in this. The length appears to me to depend on the age of the 

 individual flower, and to be therefore of no importance. 



The Flower , its Petals and Stamens. 



It is in the flower itself that the greatest differences are found. 

 In the male the chief distinguishing characters are white or yellow 

 instead of black anthers, and one corolla-lobe being so much longer 

 than the rest or to protrude beyond the floral bracts and cover them. 

 The first gives an absolute line, not in any way bridged over by an 

 occasional species with olive-green colour. Euhland stated (lc. p. 16) 

 that the colour is constant in the species, but used this difference 

 more than once in his clavis as if of only minor importance. Hooker 



