Urena?\ Malvacece. 147 



ovate, cordate at base, much attenuated to acute apex, entire, 

 glabrous above, more or less densely clothed with white or 

 brown stellate wool beneath, petioles \-i in., woolly; fl. small, 

 I in., on long, slender pubescent ped. jointed near top, at 

 first nodding, arranged in large, lax, erect, terminal panicles ; 

 cal. puberulous, lobes ovoid, acute ; ripe carp, much exceed- 

 ing cal., smooth, truncate at top, spreading, acutely pointed 

 but not beaked, dehiscent along top and outer side ; seeds 

 2-3, pubescent. 



Moist low country ; common, extending rarely into the drier country 

 and lower hills. FL Nov.-Feb.; pale yellow. 



Throughout the Tropics. 



First known from Ceylon specimens, and I see no good reason for 

 considering this any more than our other Malvaceous weeds as an intro- 

 duced plant here. 



Affords an excellent fibre. 



W. LescheJtauliiana, Mast. {Abtitiloti, Don) is C. P. 3521. It is a 

 common weed (as recorded in Thw. Enum. 401) in Peradeniya Gardens, 

 but has not spread beyond them. Fl. white, appearing from Dec. and 

 Feb. in spicate panicles. 



4. URENA, L. 



Herbaceous perennials, fl. axillary, solitary; bracteoles 5, 

 adnate to cal.; sep. 5, connate below into cup-shaped cal.; 

 pet. 5, connate below and united to tube of stam. ; stam. 

 monadelphous ; anth. nearly sessile; ov. 5-celled, with i 

 ovule in each cell ; styles 10 ; ripe carp. 5, indehiscent, sepa- 

 rating from axis, covered with glochidiate spines. — Sp. 5 ; 4 in 

 Fl. B. Ind. 



Leaves shallowly cut 1. U. lobata. 



L. cut to below the middle 2. U. SINUATA. 



I. U. lobata, L. Sp. PL 692 (1753). Patta-6pala, S. 



Fl. Zeyl. n. 256. Moon Cat. 50. Thw. Enum. 25. C. P. 3328. 

 Fl. B. Ind. i. 329. Dill. Hort. Elth. ii. t. 319. 



A large, erect, branched herb, 2-4 ft., stem and branches 

 densely covered with spreading stellate hairs ; 1. 2-3 in., 

 rounded, shallowly cut into about 5 acute lobes, serrate, stel- 

 late-hairy on both sides, paler beneath, with sub-palmate 

 veins, the upper ones ovate, petioles \-2 in., very hairy, stip. 

 linear ; fl. on short, stout, hairy ped., bracts oblong, obtuse, a 

 little exceeding sep., hairy ; ripe carp, rounded on back, 

 densely stellate-hairy, set with stiff" spines with sharp deflexed 

 prongs at the extremities. 



Waste open ground ; very common. Fl. Dec.-Feb.; bright pink, 

 darker in centre. 



