Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 



113 



narrow, reddish at base 1 to li inch long. Scapes 1 or few very slend- 

 er terete reddish 9 to 10 inches long. Capitulum small^few-flowered : 

 obconic about i-\ inch long. Bracts ovate subacute keeled brown. 

 Bracteoles linear lanceolate strongly ciliate. Hook. fil. Fl. Brit. Ind. 

 VI. 366. 



Malacca, sandy places near the sea (Griffith, Maingay) ; Pahang 

 Pekan (Bidley 1,026b). Distrib. Banca, Labuan. 



Sandy open spots. 



XIV. COMMELINACEAE. 



Herbs erect or ascending, rarely climbing. Leaves thin petioled, 

 and sheathing with parallel nerves. Inflorescence panicled or race- 

 mose. Flowers bisexual rarely unisexual. Perianth inferior. Sepals 3 

 hei'baceous. Petals 3 thin fugacious, blue, pink, white or yellow. 

 Stamens 6, all perfect or 2 or more reduced to staminodes, filaments 

 often bearded. Anthers oblong or globose. Ovary free 2-3 celled. 

 Style 1. Stigma small. Ovules orthotropous 1 or few in the inner 

 angles of the cells. Capsule loculicidal or indehiscent. Seeds angled, 

 sometimes arillate. 



Species about 300, tropical and subtropical both hemispheres. 



Fruit indehiscent, crustaceous. 



Stout plants, inflorescence terminal 

 Capsule loculicidal. 



Flowers bisexual 



Stamens 3 perfect, with 1-3 staminodes 



Cymes solitary in a spathe 



Cymes panicled, not in a spathe ... 

 Stamens 6. 



Cymes from imbricating bracts terminal ... 



Flowers panicled terminal 



Cymes lateral, large hairy plants ... 

 Flowers unisexual, males terminal panicled. 



Females cymose in a spathaceous bract ... 



1. Pollia. 



2. Commelina. 



3. Aneilema. 



4. Cyanotis. 



5. Floscopa. 



6. Forres tia. 



7. Spatholirion. 



1. POLLIA, Thunb. 



Large herbs, with lanceolate petioled leaves. Panicle 

 lax or dense. Sepals 3. Petals free. Stamens 6 or 3, with 

 nodes, filaments short naked. Ovary 3 celled, many ovuled. 

 globose or ovoid blue or white fragile. Seeds angled smooth. 



Species about 15. India, Malaya, China, Australia. 



terminal, 



3 stami- 



Capsule 



B 8 



