26o Orobanchacece. 



I. p. zeylanica, Beiith. Scroph. hid. 54 (1835). 



Benth. in DC. Prod. x. 580. Thw. Enum. 221. C. P. 229. 



Fl. B. Ind. iv. 317. Wight, Ic. t. 1419. 



Stem 6-18 in., erect, scarcely branched, slightly pubescent, 

 cylindrical ; 1. alt., mostly crowded near base of stem, few and 

 distant above, passing into bracts, 1-2 in., oblong, pinnately 

 cut into numerous obtuse crenate lobes, glabrous above, more 

 or less pubescent beneath, margin crenulate, reflexed, lower 

 with short petioles, upper sessile ; fl. rather large, on short ped., 

 in lax erect racemes, bracts leafy ; cal. thin, nearly glabrous ; 

 lower lip of cor. | in. diam., lobes broad, subacute, upper lip 

 rounded, not beaked ; capsule \ in., twice as long as cal, upper 

 part compressed, falcate, acute. 



Wet places in the upper montane zone; common. Fl. Feb., Aug., 

 Sept.; bright pink. 



Also in the mountains of S. India. 



A beautiful plant, and the only species of this fine alpine genus, 

 so abundant in the Himalayas, occurring here. Dries nearly black. 



XCIIL— OROBANCHACE^. 



Perennial root-parasites without leaves or chlorophyll, fl. 

 usually large, on short scapes from a fleshy rootstock, bisexual, 

 rather irregular ; cal. free, spathaceous or 2-lipped or with 5 

 segm. ; cor.-tube funnel-shaped, lobes 5, nearly equal, imbri- 

 cate with the 2 upper lobes outside ; stam. 4, didynamous, 

 anth. usually connate in pairs, i-celled, opening by an apical 

 pore, the other cell usually represented by a recurved spur ; 

 ov. superior, i -celled, ovules very numerous on 2 large 

 parietal placentas, stigma flat or clavate ; fruit a 2-valved 

 capsule ; seeds minute, with fleshy endosperm. 



Cal. split down one side, spathaceous . . i. .(Cginetia. 

 Cal. with 5 segm. or 2-lipped. 



Anth. spurred ; stigma dilated . , .2. Christisonia. 



Anth. not spurred ; stigma clavate . . 3. Campbelll\. 



These parasitic flowers — for they are little more — are found at the 

 liyase of shrubs in shady forests ; we have 8 species. ^Esinetia occurs in 

 the low country, Christisonia and Ca7npbellia in the mountain region ; 3 

 species of Christisonia are endemic. 



