20. Neuracanthus.] 104. ACANTHACEM. 



tary or 0, lobes ovoid distinct sometimes hairy. Style 2-branclied at 

 the apex, one branch obsolete. Ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule 

 oblong, glabrous. Seeds 4, ovate, much compressed, densely silky. 



1. N. tetragonostachyus, iV^ees. ^ 



Scarcely suffruticose, with a perennial creeping rootstock, subterete 

 ■usually inclined or nodding strict stems l-2'o ft. high with two lines of 

 hairs, elliptic membranous leaves attenuate both ends and bright 

 blue flowers '3" long in 4-gonous spikes which are solitary erect at 

 the nodes and terminal, 1-1"5'' long. Bracts ellijDtic-ovate or elliptic 

 •3-*35" long, concave, with 5 very strong raised nerves meeting at the 

 aristulate tij). 



On trap in the Rajmahal Hills (Sant. Parg.) ! The onl3- record from India, all 

 other specimens being' Burmese. Fl. Jan.-Feb. 



L. acuminate, hispid-pubescent on the 5-6 sec. n, beneath and more shortly so 

 between, Imse attenuate into a very short petiole or petiole 0. Spikes sessile, 

 linear-oblono:, about "3" broad. Bracts pale, thinly pilose, ciliate and muriculate on 

 the edges and principal nerves. Calj'x •25", minutely tubercled and densely white- 

 villous, segments linear-lanceolate. Corolla-tube conical at base, limb 2-lipped 

 Miry, •25"'tliam., upper lip darker-blue- veined. Capsule '25" oblong compressed 

 with a short solid beak or very acute. 



21. LEPIDAGATHIS, Willd. 

 Herbs or undershrubs with entii'e or crenate or serrate leaves and 

 small sessile flowers mostly in dense bracteate usually secund often 

 fascicled spikes or heads ; sometimes spikes aggregated near the base 

 of the stem. J^racts usually exceeding the calyx, bracteoles narrower 

 than the bracts. Calyx with unequal segments, the two anterior 

 more or less connate into one. Corolla tubular or tvxbe sometimes 

 sub-globose at the base, then suddenly constricted, always again 

 suddenly ventricose about the middle and limb 2-lipped, iipper lip 

 notched or 2-lobed, lower spreading 3-fid, usually spotted. Stamens 

 didynamous, all 2-celled or one pair 1-celled,* one cell often attached 

 higher up than the other, cells often bearded. Stigma capitellate, 

 minutely 2-fid or entire. Ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule elongate, conoid 

 or oblong. Seeds 2-4 compressed, ovate-oblong or orbicular hairy. 



A. Flowers chiefly aggregated in masses at the base of the stem 



or on rootstock : — 



Bracts lanceolate spinescent, not squarrose. Sepals spines- 

 cent. Spikes in dense cushions 1. HamUtoniana. 



Bracts ovate or obovate, suddenly spinose-cuspidate with 

 the cusp subsquarrose. Sepals not spinescent. Spikes 

 more or less distinct 2 trivervis. 



B. Flowers in axillary solitary or clustered spikes :— 



1. Capsule 2-seeded, thin. " Spikes clustered, often some also 



radical. Leaves linear 2. trinervis. 



2. Capsule 4-seeded, oblong:— 



a. Leaves entire or undulate : — 



One pair of anthers 1-ceiled. One sepal much broader 

 than the other 4 3. purpiiricaulU. 



All anthers 2-celled. One sepal only slightly broader . 4. hi/alina. 

 h. Leaves crenate or crenate-serrate 5. fa»cicnJafa. 



* The character of one pair of anthers sometimes 1 -celled is not found in other 

 ■works, which nevertheless include L. pnrpuricaulis in the genus, in which it 

 invariably occurs according to my observations. This brings the genus verj- close 

 to Nenra'canthu^, the only other character left to distinguish it being the presence of 

 bracteoles. In the very" congested inflorescences of the Hamiltojiinna section even 

 these seem to fail in some flowers, but the corolla is much more decidedly 2-lipped 

 than in Neuracanthu». 



68C 



