XXVIII. LINACE-E. 155 



smooth, dark brown, shining. Fl. B. I. v. 1, p. 410 ; Grah. Cat. p. 34 ; 

 Dalz. & Gibs. Suppl. p. 16 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (1897) 

 p. 265 ; AVatt, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 5, p. 2. — Flowers : Feb.-Mar. Veen. 

 Alsi ; Javas. 



The well-known flax-plant. Native country unknown, but supposed to have origin- 

 ally been introduced from Egypt, where it was in use in the time of the Pharaohs. 

 It is grown in India for the oil procurable from tlie seeds, not for the fibre. J?or a 

 fidl account of the plant and its uses, consult Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod. 1. c— Distrib. 

 All regions where flax is cultivated for oil or fibre. 



2. Linum mysorense, Heyne, in Wall. Cat. (J 828) 1507. Annual, 

 6-18 in. high, glabrons ; stem erect, slender, striate, leafy. Leaves 

 sessile, ^-| in. long, oblong-elliptic or obovate, mucronate, tapering at 

 the base, 3-nervecl. Flowers ^ in. across, on short pedicels, solitary, 

 collectively forming a corymbose terminal panicle made up of unilateral 

 cymes. Sepals g in. long, elliptic-lanceolate, pointed, glabrous, 3-nerved. 

 Petals yellow, about twice as long as the sepals, obovate, rounded at the 

 apex, acute at the base. Filaments dilated and connate below. Ovary 

 glabrous ; styles slightly connate at the base. Capsules globose, apiculate, 

 surrounded by the persistent sepals. Seeds 10, elliptic, compressed, 

 smooth. Fl. B. I. V. 1, p. 411 ; Grah. Cat. p. 33; Dalz. & Gibs. p. 16 ; 

 Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 1, p. 188 ; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 

 (1897) p. 265; A\^att, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 5, p. 1.— Flowers : Oct.- 

 Dec. Vebn. Unclri. 



Very common on the Konkan and Deccan hills ; abundant at Mahableshwar. 

 Deccan : hills at Par, Balzell ! ; Khandala, Graham ; Kolhapur, Woodrow ; Maha- 

 bleshwar, Cooke ! — Distrib. Ceylon. 



2. REINWARDTIA, Dumort. 



Undershrubs. Leaves alternate, membranous, usually serrate, penui- 

 nerved ; stipules minute, caducous. Flowers large, yellow or white, in 

 very short fasciculate axillary racemes or in dense corymbs at the ends of 

 the branches ; pedicels bracteate. Sepals 5, entire. Petals 5, contorted, 

 fugacious. Stamens 5, connate at the base, hypogynous, with as many 

 interposed setiform staminodes. Glands 2-3, adnate to the staminal- 

 tube. Ovary 3-5-celled, cells 2-locellate ; ovule 1 in each locellus ; 

 styles 3-4 (rarely 5 or 7), filiform, stigmatose at the apex. Capsule 

 globose, splitting into 6-8 valves ; valves 1-seeded. Seeds reniform ; 

 albumen thin ; embryo straight. — Distrib. Endemic ; species 1 or 2. 



1. Reinwardtia trigyna. Planch, hi Hoolc. Lond. Journ. Bot. v. 7 

 (1848) p. 522. An undershrub, 2-3 ft. high ; branches terete, with 

 longitudinally wrinkled bark, glabrous. Leaves 2-4 by 1-1 1 in., elliptic- 

 lanceolate, acute, distantly serrate, decurrent into a short petiole, glabrous, 

 mucronate ; stipules minute, subulate, caducous. Flowers yellow, hand- 

 some, 1-1| in. across. Sepals i- 1 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, very acute. 

 Petals obovate, cuneate. Stamens 5, dimorphic, long stamens and short 

 styles and short stamens and long styles occurring in different flowers ; 

 pollen grains of the short stamens larger than those of the long ones. 

 Styles normally 3, free or connate at the base, sometimes 4, 5 or 7 of 

 different lengths ; stigmas of the long styles larger than those of the 

 short ones. Capsules globose, shorter than the sepals. Fl. B. I. v. 1, 

 p. 412; Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 11 (1897) p. 2Q6 ; Watt, Diet. 



