104. ACANTHACE^. [33. Blepha^ris. 



32. PHLOGACANTHUS, Nees. 



Shrubs or tall herbs with entire, rarely obscurely crenate, usually 

 larc^e leaves and orange red or pink showy flowers in thyrses or narrow 

 panicles, rarely simply racemose or in axillary cymes. Bracts small, 

 bracteoles small or 0. Calyx deeply 5-fid with narrow segment^. 

 Corolla tubular curved so that the limb is oblique, limb 2-lipped, 

 seo-ments connivent patent or recurved, imbricate in bud. Stamens 

 2 and sometimes 2 small staminodes, anthers 2-celled, oblong, muti- 

 cous, o-labrous. Style simple and attenuate into the stigma, stigma 

 pointe'd. Ovules 5-8 in each cell. Capsule elongate, sub-4-angled, 

 many-seeded from the base. Seeds ovate-lenticular, glabrous or 

 densely shortly hairy. 



The FBI and Bengal Plants erive " bracteoles 0" as a generic character, hut 

 our species has l^racteoles wherever collected by me from Dehra Dun to Bhotan ! 



1. P. thyrsiflorus, Nees. Chuhar, Th. 



A handsome shrub 5-12 ft. high with large dark green glossy 

 leaves and terminal thyrses of dark orange flowers. All parts of the 

 inflorescence villouslv-tomentose or densely pubescent. Bracts and 

 bracteoles linear. Calyx -3" with setaceous segments. Corolla 

 •5"--7" long with broad tube, tomentose. 



Alono- the northern boundary, in the foothills. Bettiah ! Ramnagar ! Fl. Jan.-April. 



Branches quadrangular. Leaves G-9" or sometimes up to 12" long, oblanceolate, 

 acuminate, tapering at base into a short petiole, see. n. 10-1^ Thyrses C-10 ong,. 

 bracts -S-*?" long linear-acuminate, bracteoles similar, one-third to halt as long. 

 Flowers very shortly pedicelled. Upper lip curved, •15--2" long witjk two short 

 rounded lobes ; lower lip spreading with 3 short more oblong lobes. Filaments 

 stout slightly pilose at base, anthers exserted from throat, shorter than upper 

 lip laro-e. Capsule 1-25", sub-4-angled, 12-lJ. seeded. 



Leaves ground up with pepper are used for fever by the Tharus. 



2 P. coryiflorus, JVees, is a very handsome species with larger leaves than the 

 last often exceeding one foot in length. The thyrses are also stouter, 4-8 long 

 with the brick-red flowers 2" long. It is sometimes cultivated m gardens. JNative 

 of the Khasia Hills. 



33. BLEPHARIS, Juss. 



Herbs or undershrubs, often rigid or prickly, Avith opposite or 

 vvhorled sub-entire, sometimes unequal, toothed or spinose leaves. 

 Flowers small or mod.-sized in 1-few-flowered, short or capitate 

 spikes with opposite decussate bracts. Spikes terminal, often 

 clustered on abbreviated axillary shoots. Sepals 4, unequal, paired, 

 one of the outer pair emarginate or 2-lobed. Corolla with ovoid or 

 urceolate tube and lipped limb, upper lip sub-obsolete, lower large 

 3-lobed. Stamens didynamous ; anthers 1 -celled, anterior below apex 

 of filament, margins densely bearded, small rudimentary second cell 

 sometimes present. Ovules 2 or 1 in each cell. Capsule oblong or 

 ellipsoid. Seeds echinate by thick papillte, their tips sometimes of 

 free hairs when moistened, or hairs sometimes free from the base. 



The hairs on the seeds are of interesting structure. Tide F.B.I. , p. 478; Nat. 

 Pflrtwr, J'aw.. '•Acanthacea:'," p. 317. -.,.,.,• 



The pair of bracts under the terminal flower are often termed bracteoles, their 

 position (decussate with previous pairs, anterior and posterior to the tiower)' 

 appears to connote them as bracts. 



L. acute or obtuse, 1 •5-3-5''. Corolla •7--8" long . . . . I. hoerhaavicefolia. 

 L. obtuse -3-1". Corolla •25--3" long 2. molluginifoha. 



701 



