Su/a.] Malvacecu. 141 



from Colombo by W. Ferguson in Thw. Enum. 441. The specimens 

 (C. P. 3614) were collected in 1858, and were doubtless mere casuals. 

 The species is a frequent tropical weed in both hemispheres, probably of 

 American origin. It is figured in Fl. Brasil, fasc. 109, t. 53 under the name 

 of M. coroma7ideIianum, Garcke, but it is not, as there supposed, Malva 

 corouiandeliafta, L. That is Sida acuta^ as I have determined by ex- 

 amining Plukenet's original specimens in Herb. Mus. Brit. 



Anoda hastata, Cav. At Badulla in 1888 as a weed. A native of 

 Central America and the W. Indies, frequently found also in India. A 

 mere casual here. The name of the genus is taken from the Sinhalese 

 word for Abutilofi. 



T. SIDA, L. 



Perennial herbs or under-shrubs ; fl. axillary, solitary, 

 without bracteoles ; sep. 5, connate into a cup-shaped, 5-lobed 

 calyx ; pet. 5, connate at base and adnate to the tube of the 

 stam. ; stam. indef., tube of filaments long; ripe carp. 5-10, 

 separating from axis, usually with a beak or awn, irregularly 

 dehiscent, i -seeded. — Sp. about 80 ; 9 in Fl. B. Lid. 



Prostrate, trailing herbs i. S. HUMILIS. 



Erect, herbaceous or shrubby. 



Viscous-hairy ...... 



Stellate-hairy. 



With recurved spines below petioles 

 Without spines. 



L. lanceolate-oblong .... 



L. rhomboid-lanceolate, or cuneate-obovate 

 Velvety or silky ...... 



2. S. MYSORENSIS. 



3. S. SPINOSA. 



4. S. ACUTA. 



5. S. RHOMBIFOLIA. 



6. S. CORDIFOLIA. 



I. S. humilis, Cav. Diss. v. 277 (1788). Bevila, S. Palam- 

 padu, T 



Thw. Enum. 28. C. P. 11 24. 



Fl. B. Ind. i. 322 (not given for Ceylon). Cav. Diss. v. t. 134, f. 2. 



A perennial herb, branches long, prostrate, trailing, rooting 

 at the nodes, with scattered stellate hairs ; 1. variable in size, 

 |-2 in., broadly ovate, cordate at base, acute, coarsely crenate- 

 serrate, sparsely covered with long hairs, petiole ^-f in., hairy; 

 fl. rather small, numerous, less than h in. diam., ped. i in. or 

 more, stiff, slender, slightly hairy ; cal. 5 -angled, segm. tri- 

 angular, very acute, with stellate hairs on margin ; pet. broader 

 than long, truncate ; ripe carp. 5, pointed, very slightly bi- 

 cuspidate, smooth. 



Grassy ground and waste places ; very common in the low country, 

 Fl. Jan.-March ; pale yellow. 



Distributed generally through the Tropics. 



6". veronicifolia, Lam. Encycl. i. 24 is, according to Schumann, the 

 oldest name for this. 



