Ciy. rOLYGOXACE^E. 519 



in fields in the Deccan and Gujarat, Fl. B, I. v. 5, p. 55 ; Woodr. in 

 Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 366 ; AVatt, Diet. Ecou, Prod. v. 3, 

 p. 310. — Flowers: Jan. Veun. Kuthu. 

 The grain is eaten by Bi-ahniins on fast days. 



Antigonon leptopns^ Hook. & Am. Bot. Beech. Voy. (1841) p. 308, t. 69. 

 A large climber, a native of S. America, with cordate or deltoid leaves 

 with stem-claspiiig petioles, and large panicles of showy pink flowers. 



The plant is of easy culture and is largely grown in gardens. Woodr. 

 Gard. in Ind. ed. 5, p. 430 ; Prain, Beng. PI. p. 889. — Flowers : Aug.- 

 Nov. 



Iluehlenbechia platydados, Meissn. in Bot. Zeit. v. 23 (1865) p. 313. 

 A curious glabrous shrubby erect plant, a native of the Solomon Islands 

 east of New Guinea, is occasionally grown in gardens. It has smooth 

 flattened finely striate leaf-like branches and small flowers in lateral 

 fascicles. Coccoloha platijclada^ F. Muell. in Bot. Mag. v. 19 (1863) 

 t. 5382. 



Order CV. PODOSTEMONACEiE. 



Aquatic herbs usually annual, submerged and closely attached to 

 rocks, flowering when exposed by the fall of the water-level. Primary 

 axis various, early giving rise to a thallus. Leaves more or less 

 distichous, simple, usually sheathing. Flowers hermaphrodite, small, 

 regular and 3-merous with perianth ; or zygomorphic and 2-merous 

 without perianth, hypogynous. Perianth when present 3-lobed ; lobes 

 imbricate, mareescent. Aclamydeous flowers included before opening in 

 a closed spathe which opens irregularly at the tip or by a slit on the 

 upper side. Stamens hypogynous ; in regular flowers 3, alternate with 

 the perianth-segments ; in zygomorphic flowers usually 2, monadelphous 

 on the lower side of the flower, the common stalk usually much exceeding 

 the partial filaments ; staminodes in zygomatic flowers usually 2 ; anthers 

 introrse, 2-celled. Ovary superior, 2-3-cened, with thick placenta and 

 delicate septa ; ovules numerous, anatropous ; stigmas 2-3. Capsule 

 usually pedicellate, ribbed or smooth, septifragal. Seeds numerous, 

 minute ; testa mucilaginous ; albumen ; embryo straight. — Distrib. 

 Genera about 20 ; species about 120, chiefly tropical. 



Flowers regular; perianth-segments 3; stamens 3; ovary 3- 



celled 1. Lawia. 



Flowers zygomorphic; perianth ; stamens 1-3; ovary 2-eelled. 



Spathe erect, splitting irregularly at the tip 2. Griffithella. 



Spathe more or less prostrate, splitting along the upper 



side 3. HVDROBRYUM. 



An Order but little investigated till recently. Its members are, some of them, very 

 abundant in the Ghat streams in the Western Peninsula of India, but, owing to their 

 fragile nature, dried herbarium specimens are rarely of much value. Mr. Willis, the 

 Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, Ceylon, has spent much time 

 and labor in the study of the Indian and Ceylon species, the result of which he has 

 published in the innals of the Royal Gardens at Peradeniya. Mr. Willis has bar! the 

 opportunity of studying these plants in a living condition, which, as he has explained 

 in bis memoir, is the only satisfactory way of arriving at any useful result. I have 

 followed Mr. Willis entirely as regards the Bombay species, but I have little doubt 

 that more species than those I have dealt with are to be found in the streams of the 

 Deccan and Konkan hills, and the ravines at Mahahleshwar imniediatel}' after the rain* 

 would be a likelv huntintr-frround for future Indian botanist?. 



