4. Pile A.] 124. TJRTICACEM. 



principal nerves 3 meeting in the apex, tertiaries (there are none that 

 can be called secondaries) numerous fine transverse and reticulate. 

 Petioles slender -7-1 -5". Stipules acuminate -1", intrapetiolar but 

 their bases connected also by a fine interpetiolar membrane. Male 

 sepals not horned. Aehenes (not seen in my specimen) minute bor- 

 dered with a strong intermarginal ridge, strongly granulate. 



Meghasani, MayurlDhanj, elev. 4000 ft. ! Fl. r.s. Fr. Oct. 



The extreme base of the leaves is usuallj' minutely cordate or notched. Ours 

 appears to he the southern limit of the species, but a closely allied one, P. trinervia,. 

 occurs in Madras. 



2. P. microphylla, Liebm. Syn. P. muscosa, Lindl. ; The Gunpowder 

 Plant (from the cloud of pollen when shaken). 



A prostrate or sometimes suberect small rather succulent herb with 

 numerous patent branches and distichous very small leaves for the 

 most part unequal in each pair, elliptic oblong or obovate, entire, 

 penninerved but nervation very obscure. Petiole very short. Cymes 

 very small, from nearly every axil, usually sessile, androgynous or 

 1 -sexual. Male tepals mucronate. Median tepal of the fruiting 

 flower hooded. 



Very common in plant-houses and verandahs, but also naturalised in the 

 damper districts on \Yalls, etc. Native of South America. 



A form with very small leaves and a very di-stinct-looking larger-leaved form 

 are common. Be Candolle distinguishes the following varieties :— 



a. The type with very small leaves 1-5-5 mm. long. Diffuse. Common. 



(3. hernariode*. Stems sometimes short and erect, filiform, little branched,, 

 leaves obovate or rotund spathulate 5-10 mm. long, often attenuate into a slender 

 petiole. 



y. porfnlacoides. Stems prostrate with divaricate branches, leaves obovate 

 10-15 mm. long, attenuate into a distinct petiole. This is, I think, our larger 

 leaved form. 



S. lovgifolia, 



5. BOEHMERIA, Jacq. 



Shrubs or small trees with opposite and alternate toothed palmately 

 3-nerved leaves. Stipules usually free. Flowers in 1 -sexual clusters 

 which are arranged in axillary or panicled spikes or racemes, or 

 clusters axillary. Male perianth 3-5-lobed or -partite. Stamens 3-5,. 

 pistillode clavate or globose. Pem. perianth tubular, 2-4-toothed.. 

 fruiting sometimes angled, winged or swollen. Stigma filiform, per- 

 sistent. Achene closely invested by the perianth, crustaceous, at 

 length free. Seed albuminous. Cotyledons ovate. 



The genus has usually very strong bast fibres. Boehmeria nivea, the China 

 Grass, which yields Rhea or Ramie fibre, with beautifully white under-surface to 

 the leaves, is sometimes grown in gardens and has been cultivated in Shahabad,. 

 Bhagulpur and Purneah, but more widely in the adjacent northern Bengal 

 districts. It requires a moist warm climate and Purneah would be the most 

 suitable of the northern districts in our area, but probably Cuttack or Puri would; 

 be even more suitable, though, I believe, it has not been tried there. The leaves- 

 are alternate, ovate, acuminate, dentate. Clusters in axillarj' paired laxly cj'mose 

 panicles, the female panicles in the upper axils. 

 Clusters all spicate in our indigenous species-:— 



Tree. Leaves alternate elliptic, 3-G" 1. rugiUosa. 



Shrubs. Leaves mostlj' opposite :— 



Leaves linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6-15", opposite . 2. macrophylla. 



Leaves elliptic to ovate, 4-8", mostly opposite . . .3. platyphylla. 



814 



