COMMELINACE^. 419 



staminodes; filaments often bearded with long hairs. 

 Ovary superior, typically three-celled, but often with 

 one cell aborted or not as fertile as the others. Style 

 terminal, stigma small. Fruit a loculicidal capsule or 

 indehiscent. Seeds angled. 



Species 300 in tropical and sub-tropical regions. 



COMMELINA. f.b.i. i6o ii. 



Stem slightly zigzag or straight. Flowers several 

 together in small scorpioid (curved) cymes sheathed in a 

 comparatively large heart-shaped bract (spathej, folded 

 almost flat along the midrib. Stamens three only fertile, 

 two or three sterile. Ovary of two cells, or with a third 

 imperfect cell. 



Species 100 in tropics and sub-tropics. 



Commelina clavata Clarke ; F.B.I. vi 371, II 10. Stem 

 slender. Sheaths of leaves I inch, strongly ciliate. 

 Leaves l^ to 2^ inches by J4 inch, contracted at the 

 base. Stalks of cymes ij^ inches, slender. Spathe l^ 

 inches by % inch (when opened out flat). Capsule four- 

 angled, shortly oblong, of two cells each with two-seeds. 



Pulneys : on the downs above Kodaikanal. Fyson 358. 

 Bourne 187 1. 



I am not confident about the identification of my b'ulney specimen, 

 from which the above description was taken, since my leaves are narrower 

 than the type sheet and the capsule does not show a constriction at the 

 middle as described by Clarke. The species occurs on the Nilgiris near 

 Kaiteri and on Lamb's Rock, Coonoor. Clarke gives the distribution as 

 Western Ghats from the Concan southwards to Ceylon. 



Commelina kurzii Clarke; F.B.I, vi 373, H l/- Stems 

 I to 2 feet hairy, slender. Leaves 2j^ to 6 inches by 

 iH inches, grass-like, acuminate. Spathcs when open 

 ^ inch broad, and with the long point about twice as 

 long. Petals blue. Capsule with dorsal cell scabrid. 



Pulneys : in and near Kodaikanal. Bourne 1239, 1872. 



Gen. Dist. Malabar, Nilgiris and Ceylon. 

 27-A 



