28 LXXI. COMPOSITE. 



heads with or without a general invohicre of empty bracts at base ; 

 outer flowers, $ , few or many, fertile ; disk-flowers ^ , solitary or few, 

 fertile or sterile. Involucre narrow ; bracts few or manv, acute, sub- 

 paleaceous, slightly unequal. Eeceptacle small, naked. Corollas of 2 

 flowers slender, tubular, minutely 2-3-toothed, those of the ^ flowers 

 regular, the tube thickened, the limb 4-5-toothed. Anther-bases 

 sagittate ; auricles acute or tailed. Style-arms of ^ flowers filiform or 

 connate. Pappus 0. Achenes oblong, compressed. — Disteib. Tropics ; 

 species 8. 



Wings of stem toothed ; invol.-bracts linear, acuminate, pubescent 

 at the apex 1. S. indictts. 



Wings of stem entire ; invol.-bracts obovate-spathulate, rounded 



and glabrous at the apex 2. 5. afrlcanus. 



1. Sphaeranthus indicus, Linn. Sp. PI. (1753) p. 927. A much- 

 branched lierb about 1 ft. high ; stem and branches cylindric, with 

 toothed wings, more or less glandular-hairy. Leaves sessile, decurrent, 

 |-2 by YV~g ^"v obovate-oblong, rounded or subacute, glandular-hairy, 

 spinous-serrate or dentate, narrowed at the base. Heads §-§ in. ia 

 diam., compound, globose-ovoid, ebracteate, on solitary glandular 

 peduncles with toothed wings ; flowers purple. Invol.-bracts linear, 

 acuminate, pubescent and ciliate near the ends. Achenes glabrous, 

 stalked. Fl. B. I. v. 3, p. 275 ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 3, p. 26 ; Watt, Diet. 

 Econ. Prod. v. 6, part 3, p. 320. Sphrpranthus mollis, Eoxb. Hort. 

 Beng. p. 62 ; Grab. Cat. p. 96 ; Dalz. & Gibs. p. 123. ,Sf. Mrtus, Willd. 

 Sp. Pi. V. 3, p. 2.395 ; C. E. Clarke, Comp. Ind. p. 97.— Flowers : Nov.- 

 Jan. Veun. Mundi ; Goral-h-vmndi. 



Xo'kan: Law]; Kalyan, Coo/re ! ; Bassein, /iVryV ! ; Yingorlei, Kajiit/ir/ r I; Dasgaon, 

 KanHJcar ! Deccan : Gogve, west of Kolapur, KanitJcar ! S. M. Country : Dharwar, 

 Cookel; Belgaum in rice-fields, liUchie, 41U! Gujarat: Woodrow, 12 1 — Distrib. 

 Throughout India ; Ceylon, Africa, Malay Islands, Australia. 



2. Sphaeranthus africanus, Linn. Sp. Fl. ed. 2, v. 2 (1763) 

 p. 1314. A fragrant plant 8-24 in. high; stem compressed, glabrous, 

 with entire wings ; branches numerous, divaricate. Leaves sessile, 

 decurrent, l-g— 2^ by i-1 in., obovate, obtuse, more or less glandular- 

 pubescent, finely toothed, narrowed at the base. Heads -j— j- in. in 

 diam., globose, ebracteate; flowers purple. Invol.-bracts obovate- 

 spathulate, rounded at the apex, glabrous. PL B. I. v. 3, p. 275 ; Trim. 

 PL Ceyl. V. 3, p. 26: Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (1898) p. 648. 

 SpJiceranthus microcepJudiis, Willd. Sp. PI. v. 3, p. 2395; C. B. Clarke, 

 Comp. Ind. p. 97. — Plowers : Oct. 



KoNKAN : Law I, S/oc/is], Bidzell ; Vingorla, Woodmw. — Distrib. Throughout 

 India; Ceylon, Persia, Africa, Malay Islands, China, Philippines, Australia. 



19. BLEPHARISPERMUM, Wight. 



Glabrous shrubs. I^caves alternate. Heads small, compressed, in 

 solitary or crowded globose clusters which are sessile on an oblong or 

 cylindric common receptacle, heterogamous, discoid ; outer flowers $ , 

 few, fertile ; disk-flowers g , 2-8, fertile or sterile. Invol.-bracts 1-2, 

 like the palea3 of the receptacle, but shorter. Keceptacle miinite or 

 cylindric with broad dry or rigidly scarious paleae enclosing the flowers. 

 Corollas of $ flowers filiform, 3-4-toothpd, those of the 5 flowers 



