108. AMABANTACE^. [3. Allmania. 



short. Ovules several. Fruit a circumsciss utricle. Seeds erect, 

 lenticular. 



Spikes usually tapering. Fls. over •25". Leaves linear or 



lanceolate, . 1. argentea. 



Spikes often fasciated. Fls. under "25". L. often ovate. . . var. crisfafa. 



1. C. argentea, L. Inc. C. cristata, L. ; Sirgit-arak', S. ; Sirwari, 

 Khariv. 

 An erect glabrous herb 1-3 ft. high with linear or lanceolate acumi- 

 nate leaves mostly 1-2" but attaining 6", and peduncled cylindrical, 

 ovoid or lanceolate shining pink or white spikes mostly 1-3" long, 

 sometimes attaining 8" (F.B.L). Tepals mostly •25--3" long, very 

 scarious, with the similar but smaller bract and bracteoles often 

 aristulate. Seeds several small black shining. 



Usually in cultivated fields. Purneah, frequent ! Monghyr, Kurz ! Ranchi 

 and other districts of Chota Nagpur, frequent and ascending to the top of 

 Parasnath ! Angul, Lace I A^erj- widely distributed in India and probablj^ occurs 

 in all districts of our province. Fl., Fr'. Aug. -Dec. Annual. 



Stem and branches angled and striate. L. with base cuneate or tapering into 

 the slender petiole ; sec. n. 5-7 very slender. Spikes at first usually acute and 

 tapering with short peduncles, subsequentlj' peduncles elongating, often branched, 

 and old spikes often obtuse or rounded or sometimes even branching into a cock's- 

 comb form. 



Var. cristata. Syn. C. cristata, L. 



Leaves often broad, sometimes up to 9" by 2". Flowers smaller. Spikes very 

 often excessively developed and monstrous as in the well-known garden "Cock's 

 comb," which in cultivation gives also j-ellow flowers. 



3. ALLMANIA, Br, 



Herbs with alternate leaves, and flowers in axillary and terminal 

 globose or ovoid dense heads. Tepals 5, scarious, acuminate, striate. 

 Stamens 5, connate below into a cup, anthers 2-celled. Ovary ovoid 

 with slender style and capitellate stigma. Ovule 1 erect. Fruit a 

 circumsciss utricle. Seed erect with a small cupular aril and annular 

 embryo. Cotyledons linear flat. 



1. A. nodiflora, Br. 



A diffuse branched sub-succulent herb with stems 12-18" long, 

 linear or linear- oblong, sessile or shortly petioled, leaves and sessile 

 leaf-opposed yellowish-green heads of flowers -5- -75" diam. Stamens 

 5 erect with pink anthers. Capsule membranous, circumsciss and 

 disclosing the single black shining minutely puberulous seed seated 

 on an inflated membranous aril. 



Ranchi and Hazaribagh (Damuda Ghats) ! Manbhum, Camp. ! Angul, 

 Chattarjee ! Fl., Fr. Aug. -Sept. (see variety). 



This is apparently the type or Hooker's variety angustifoUa. The leaves are 

 2-4" long and sessile, acute or obtuse. The heads are congested cymes with the 

 flowers subsessile, tepals "2" long sharply or pungently acuminate,' scarious with 

 green pubescent midrib. Bracts linear aristate, hispid. 



Var. Roxburghii, J.D.H. 



A procumbent herb with obovate leaves only "5-1 ' long. Heads as above. 

 On sand. Balasore ! Fl. May. Probably at other times also. 



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