CTT. AMAEANTACE.'E. 495 



Seed inverse, lenticular ; testa crustaceous ; embryo hooked, surrounding 

 floury albumen ; cotyledons linear ; radicle superior. — Distkib. Asia and 

 Tropical Africa ; species 1. 



1. Nothosserua brachiata, Wiyht, Icon. v. 6 (1853) p. 1. An 

 erect slender herb 6-20 in. high, glabrous or nearly so ; stem branched 

 from the base ; branches spreading, usually glabi-ous. Leaves |-1| by 

 |-| in., elliptic-lanceolate, acute or subobtuse, thinly membranous, 

 green, glabrous or minutely puberulous, base tapering into a short often 

 obscure petiole. Flowers sessile, crowded in small dense axillary sub- 

 sessile, solitary or clustered, white cylindric spikes \-k in. long; bracts 

 and bracteoles hyaline, acute, persistent. Perianth -r)-^ in. long ; sepals 

 acute or subacute, hyaline. Seeds minute, shining, black. Fl. B. I. 

 V. 4, p. 726 ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 3, p. 401 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. 

 V. 12 (1899) p. 364. jErua hracliiata., Mart. Beitr. Amarant. p. 83, n. 3 ; 

 Dalz. & Gibs. p. 217. Pseudanthus hracliiatus,W\^\t, Icon. v. 5, t. 1776 

 (exclud. analyses), and vol. 6, t. 1776 his, fig. B. 



In Wight's Icones, v. 5, t. 1776, the draughtsman has made the 

 mistake (which Wight subsequently explained [Icon. v. 5, part 2, p. 2]) 

 of showing the analyses of uEvva floribunda {JErua lanata, Juss.) under 

 the drawing, the body of ^^•hich is Pseudanthus (after\^■ards changed by 

 AVight to Notlioso'j-ua [Icon. v. 6, p. 1]) hracliiatus. Wight rectifies 

 this mistake in t. 1776 his, vol. 0, the figure A in which represents 

 N. brachiata. — Flowers : Nov. 



KoNKAN : Law\ Gujarat: Sui-at, Woodrou'. Sind : S/oc/,-s], Cool:e\; Jemadar 

 ka Lancia near Karachi, stocks. 1191! — Distkib. India (Birma, W. Peninsula); 

 Ceylon, Mauritius, Tropical Africa. 



8. ACHYRANTHES, Linn. 



Herbs. Leaves opposite, petiulate, entire. Flowers hermaphrodite, 

 in slender simple or panicled spikes, soon deflexed; bracts and bracteoles 

 spinescent. Perianth of 4-5 rigid lanceolate-subulate aristate shining 

 segments, ultimately becoming hardened and ribbed. Stamens 2-5 ; 

 filaments filiform, subulate, connate at the membranous base, with as 

 many quadrate staminodes which are toothed or with a toothed scale 

 on the back ; anthers 2-celled. Ovary oblong, subcompressed, 1-celled ; 

 ovule solitary, pendulous from a long basal funicle ; style filiform ; 

 stigma capitellate. Fruit an oblong or ovoid utricle. Seed inverse, 

 oblong ; testa coriaceous ; embryo annular, surrounding floury albumen ; 

 cotyledons linear or lanceolate ; radicle erect. — Distrib. Species about 

 15, tropical and subtropical. 



1. Achyranthes aspera, Linn. Bp. PI. (1753) p. 204. Erect, 

 1-3 ft. high ; stem stiff, not much branched ; branches terete or obso- 

 letely quadrangular, striate, pubescent. Leaves few, usually thick, 

 1^-2| by 1-lf in., elliptic or obovate, sometimes nearly orbicular, 

 usually rounded (rarely subacute) at the apex, finely and softly pubes- 

 cent on both sides, entire ; petioles \-\ in. long. Flowers greenish- 

 white, numerous, stiffly deflexed against the woolly-pubescent rhachis, 

 in elongate terminal spikes which are at first short but soon lengthen, 

 reaching as much as 20 in. long in fruit ; bracts g in, long, broadly 

 ovate, acuminate, membranous, aristate, persistent ; bracteoles \ in. 



