314 



THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



VI. CRIST ATO-SEPALAE 



The sepals of the female flowers are deeply boat-shaped with the 

 keel thickened or expanded into a wing or crest, which may be lobed 

 or even pectinate. One sepal may be absent, otherwise the flowers 

 are normal. The floral bracts are glabrous and except in the last two 

 of the series hyaline. The leaves and other vegetative parts are also 

 glabrous. All are marsh or land plants, none grow in running water. 



The group appears to have progressed in two directions : perhaps 

 it should really be divided into two sections. One with increasing floral 

 bracts ends in E. echinulatum where they have long linear points 

 and the petals are absent ; the other with short bracts, developed 

 along the line of decreasing width of the petals, till in E. sexangulare 

 they are linear with long hairs. E. Thomasi, may be a derivative 

 of this latter species. (See E. Thwaitesii No. 14, for similar develop- 

 ment.) 



TABLE OF PROBABLE RELATIONSHIPS. 



E. Margaretae 

 , — E. Elenorae 

 E. minutum 

 -E. stellulatum 

 E. echinulatum 

 E. cuspidatum 

 E. sexangulare 

 E. Thomasi 



... Western Ghats. 

 ... Western Ghats. 



... Western Ghats of Mysore and 



Mount Abu. 

 ... Western Ghats, Bombay to 



Malabar. 

 ... Burma to Malay. 



... Western Ghats. 



... Western Ghats, and Burma to 



Malay. 

 ... S. India. 



Key to the Cristato-sepalae. 



* Heads under 1/6 in. diameter. (Mt. 

 Abu to Malabar) 

 Heads 1/8 in. conical, female sepals 3, equally 



crested ... 37 E. Margaretae. 



Heads 1/8 in. conical, female sepals unequal, 1 



not crested ... 38 E. Elenorae. 



Heads 1/8 in conical, obconic, the involucral 



bracts longer than the floral ... 39 E. minutum. 



** Heads 1/6 inch, floral bracts acumi- 

 nate. (Burma) ... 41 E. echinulatum. 



