4. Lasia.] 182. ARACE.^. 



long, sheathing towards the base. Peduncle prickly, about as long 

 as the petioles, with a deep purple thick and rather brittle twisted 

 spathe about 1 ft. long. Spadix 1-2" with densely packed flowers 

 with 4 (in the plants examined) pink imbricate perianth lobes hooded 

 over the stamens. Stigma orange, broad, sessile. Heads of fruits 

 oblong 4-(i" long and 2" diam., with spongy axis, berries more or less 

 4-sided, muricate, -75" long. Seed large in a coriaceous testa. 



Along muddy streams. Singbhum, frequent! Santal Parg. ! Sambalpur ! 

 Fl., Fr. Dec.-Feb. 



The fruit and rhizome are used for sore or swollen throat. 



Aglaonema is a genus of succulent or half-shrubby perennials 

 chiefly of tropical India and Malesia with erect or prostrate caudex 

 and ovate or oblong or lanceolate often variegated leaves for which 

 they are often cultivated in grass conservatories, etc. A. comtnutatum, 

 Schott. with spotted leaves is one of the commonest. 



Dieffenbachia is mostly a genus of large sufEruticose herbs or 

 climbers, inhabitants of tropical America and are often grown in pots, 

 from cuttings which very easily strike root. The leaves are usually 

 lai'ge oblong or ovate and copiously variegated. Many varieties are 

 in cultivation, D. seguine, Schott, var. variegata, being the commonest. 

 It is native of West Indies. 



Philodendron is a large American genus containing some extremely 

 handsome aroids with large leathery leaves, natives of tropical 

 America. Some are almost tree-like, others climbing ; the leaves are 

 often cut or perforated. Ph. bipinnatifidum, Schott, has a stem over 

 C ft. high and very large 2-pinnatifid leaves. Other species have 

 beautifully coloured spat lies. 



Zantedesehia sethiopica, Sj^reng. is the name given in Nat. Pflanz. 

 Fam. to the well-known Lily-of-the-Nile {Calla cethiopica, L. or 

 Richardia africana, Kunth) which is really a South African plant. 

 It only grows in cultivation in the cooler parts of the province. 



5. PLESMONIUM, Schott. 



Herbs with bulb-like tubers and l-fcAv 3-foliolate or -partite and 

 pinnatis6ct leaves appearing after flowering. Spathe ovate, con- 

 volute below, marcescent. Spadix included or exserted, free, bearing 

 female flowers for about one-fourth Avay up, then densely packed 

 clavate disciform or truncate neuters, the upper half being occupied 

 Avith male flowers, spadix not produced beyond the flowers.* Male 

 fl. of naked sessile almost quadrate anthers with the cells immersed 

 in the connective and opening at the top by short curved pores. 

 Female fl. of single ovaries slightly sunk in the spadix, with very 

 large capitate stigma. Ovary 2-3-celled. Ovule I on the central 

 placenta. Beriy oval, 2-3-celled and -seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, 

 exalbuminous. 

 Uubranched latex tubes occur in the vascular bundles of stem and petiole. 



* I have however an abnormal specimen from Central Provinces in which there 

 is an appendix. 



860 



