104. ACANTHACEjE. [13. Strobilanthes. 



abbreviated lateral branehlets, sometimes spikes (or cymes ?) reduced 

 to single flowers ; bracts narrow or 0, bracteoles larg-e ovate reticu- 

 late, at first foliaceous iiltimately scarious. Calyx 5-partite, segments 

 subequal, very narroAv. Corolla straight or curved, tubular-ventri- 

 cose, narrow part of tube short or (not in our species) longer than 

 the ventricose portion; lobes 5 subequal. Stamens didynamous, 

 anther cells 2 parallel, spurred or muticous ; pollen ellipsoid, few- 

 ribbed, opercula 3 Avith usually a tubercle above and below each. 

 Ovules 2 in each ovary-cell. Style long, stigma-lobes 2 unequal. 

 Capsule clavate, compressed. Seeds discoid, hygroscopically hairy, 

 on placentae which separate elastically from the bottom of the 

 capsule. 



1. P. barlerioides, Nees. Malpi, Or. ; Divari, Gond. 



A straggling shrub 2-5 ft. high with straAv-colovired tAvigs and 

 ovate, toothed or crenate acuminate puberulous leaves, often very 

 feAv at the time of floAvering, 2-4" long or up to 6" by 4" Avith the 

 base suddenly decurrent on the long petiole. Flowers Avhite 1-3-1-5" 

 long sub-solitary or in opposite decussate pairs in dense or sub- 

 capitate spikes (abbreviated lateral branches) Avith large green- veined 

 bracteoles 'T-'S" long, scarious in fruit. Capsule '5-6" glabrous, 

 claA^ate, cuspidate. Seeds " usually 2 " (CooTce). 



Common in the Central and Soutliern areas, especiallj^ in rocky jungles. North 

 Champaran, rare ! Singbhum, common ! Hazaribagh (common in Koderma and 

 on Parasnath) ! Palamau ! Santal Parg. ! Rocky ghats, Narsingpur ! Mais of 

 Puri ! Angul ! Sambalpnr ! Patna State, Grieve ! Kalahandi, Cooper ! Fl. Feb.- 

 April. Fr. April-Maj'. Deciduous in the h.s. or nearly so. 



Young shoots and leaves pubescent. Leaves with 6-8 sec. n. and fine cross 

 tertiaries. Petiole about 2'' in larger leaves. Calyx very glandular hairy '^--S". 

 Corolla with narrow tube -3" long and very venose ventricose portion, strongly 

 ribbed lower lip and fulvous hairs within. Anthers with long spurs. 



13. STROBILANTHES, Blume. 



Shrubs, undershrubs or herbs Avith opp. often unequal, toothed or 

 su.bentire usually lineolate leaves. FloAvers usually moderate-sized, 

 spicate, capitate or panicled. Bracts and bracteoles large, small or 

 0. Calyx deeply 5-fid, segments narroAv, usually subequal. Corolla 

 tubular-ventricose, straight or curved, Avith 5 rounded subequal 

 lobes contorted in bud. Stamens didynamous or (in one section) 

 2 ; anthers oblong, 2-celled, muticous. Disc small or prominent. 

 Style linear, stigma of one linear-lanceolate lobe, the other obsolete. 

 Ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule 4- or 2-seeded, placentae rarely rising 

 elastically from the base. Seeds much compressed, glabrous or 

 hygroscopically hairy, on strong curved retinacula. 



The genus is remarkable in several species Avhich only flower periodically and 

 more or less gregariously and then die. The nervation is fairly constant, con- 

 sisting of many slightly arched secondary nerves running obliquely nearlj- to the 

 margin and then turned up parallel to it for a short distance ; the sec. n. are united 

 by numerous scalariform tertiaries a good deal fainter than the secondaries. 



Strobilanthes is a lai-ge genus not well represented in our area, but at least two 

 species occur, one on the mountains of Mayurbhanj and one in the Ramnagar 

 Hills, which I have not seen in flower and have been unable to identify. Several 

 other species also occur in cultivation. One of these, S. Dyerianus, is remarkable 

 for the purple and metallic bronze tints of the fohage. 



677 



