Spilanthus^ CompOsitcB. 39 



2. "W. biflora, DC. m Wight, Contrib. 18 (1834). 

 Verbesina biflora, L., Moon Cat. 58. IVollastonia biflora^ DC, Thw. 

 Enum. 165. C. P. 1760. 



Fl. B. Ind. Hi. 306. Wight, Ic. t. 1108. 



A scrambling, semi-scandent shrub, stems semi-woody 

 below, with long opp., horizontal, divaricate branches, thick- 

 ened at nodes, striate, glabrous ; 1. on rather long stout 

 curved petioles, I0-3 in., ovate-oval, cuneate at base, acute, 

 coarsely dentate-serrate, rather rough with adpressed hairs 

 on both sides, venation finely reticulate; heads rather large, 

 i-i:j in. diam., on long peduncles, usually in 3's at ends of 

 branches, involucre cup-shaped, bracts few, oval-oblong, 

 obtuse, pubescent, bractlets on receptacle narrow, concave, 

 ray-fl. 9 or 10, not contiguous, spreading, much exceeding 

 inv.-bracts, short, deeply 3-toothed, disk-fl. numerous, the 

 inner ones often sterile ; achene pubescent on top without 

 scales. 



On the seashore, scrambling over bushes ; rather common, especially 

 in the dry region. Bentota (Moon). Fl. all the year; bright yellow. 



Tropical Asia generally. 



A rather handsome plant when in full flower. The leaves often 

 become succulent in very exposed situations on the shore. A young 

 specimen of (apparently) this in Hermann's Herb, is the basis for Fl. 

 Zeyl. n. 308, Spil ant hits pseudo-Acmella, L., but Linnseus's references show 

 confusion with Blainvillea or Eclipta. 



Tithonia diversifolia, Gray, a native of Mexico and California, though 

 only introduced as a garden plant so recently as 185 1, is now one of the 

 commonest and most conspicuous plants in the island, and is generally 

 known as the 'Wild Sunflower.' It doubtless spread from Peradeniya, 

 but is now completely established by roadsides and waste ground over 

 the whole of the moist region up to 5000 ft., and in places in the dry 

 region also. It has been figured in Godman's 'Biologia Cent.-Ameri- 

 cana,' Botany, ii. t. 47 (1881) as Mirasolia diversifolia, Hemsl. (See 

 Trimen in Journ. Bot. xxiii. 145.) 



25. SPIIiANTKVS,^ L. 



Annual, 1. opp., heads solitary, axillary; involucre shallowly 

 cup-shaped, bracts few, receptacle linear, stalk-like, deeply 

 pitted, with a hyaline bractlet to each fl., fl. numerous, minute, 

 ray-fl. ligulate, fem. (but usually absent), disk-fl. tubular, 

 bisexual, fertile, anth. -bases shortly pointed ; style-branches 

 short, truncate; achene compressed, 2 -edged, glabrous, 

 pappus o. — Sp. 20 ; I in Fl. B. Ind. 



* Linnaeus took this name from Jacquin, who spells it Spilanthes^ 

 however. 



