20 AMARANTACEZ.  [ Pupanta. 
equal glabrous hocked awns, enlarging, stellately spreading, 
yellowish during the fruiting time and supported during the flowering 
period by a lanceolate acute 3-nerved aristate bracteole. Uftricle 
thinly membranous, oblong and abruptly narrowed to the apex. 
Seed +, in. long, ellipsoid, compressed, black and shining. 
Dehra Dun, Siwalik range and in the Sub-Himalayan tracts eastwards ; 
also in Bundelkhand and Merwara. Flowers towards the end of the 
rainy season. DistRis.: Behar, Punjab Plain and up to 3,000 ft. on 
the W. Himalaya; also in Rajputana, Sind and Deccan Peninsula, 
extending to 8. E. Asia, Trop. Africa and Madagascar. 
9. ALTERNANTHERA, Forsk.; Fl. Brit. Ind. iv, 731. 
Herbs, usually prostrate. Leaves opposite. Flowers 2-sexual, 
small, white, in axillary often clustered heads. Perianth-segments 
5, sepaline, unequal; anterior and 2 posterior flattened; the 2 
lateral ones innermost, concave. Stamens 2-5; filaments short, 
connate in a short cup, with or without interposed staminodes ; 
anthers l-celled. Ovary suborbicular or ovoid, style very short, 
stigma capitellate, rarely 2-fid. ; ovule solitary, pendulous from a 
long basal funicle. Fruit a compressed orbicular or obcordate 
utricle, often with thickened or wimged margins. Seed inverse, 
lenticular, testa crustaceous ; embryo annular, surrounding the 
floury albumen, cotyledons narrow, radicle superior.—Species 
about 16, in tropical and sub-tropical regions, abundant in 
Australia and America. 
A. sessilis, Rf. Br. Prod. 417 ; Royle Ill. 320; F. B. I. iv, 731 ; 
Watt E. D. ; Collett Fl. Siml. 415 ; Prain Beng. Pl. 875. A. triandra. 
Lamk. ; Cooke Fl. Bomb. uu, 499. A. prostrata, Don. Prodr. 86, 
Achyranthes triandra, Roxb. Fl. Ind. 1, 678. Vern. Ghardughs 
(Rohilkhand). 
A prostrate herb ; branches many, cften rooting from the lawer nodes, 
glabrous or the younger ones with 2 opposite lines of hairs. Leaves 
shortly stalked, glabrous and rather fleshy, 3-2 in. or more long, 
linear-oblong lanceolate or elliptic, obtuse or subacute, sometimes 
subdenticulate. Flowers sessile, white and shining, arranged in small 
axillary sessile heads ; bracteoles ovate, scarious. Perianth j,-4 in. 
long. Sepals ovate, acute, l-nerved, scarious. Ovary broader than 
long, compressed. Utricle broadly obcordate, margins thickened. 
Seed suberbieuiar. 
