I. Flagellaria.] 142. FLAGELLARIACEJS. 



sessile clustered very small, sub-scarious Avhite, clusters in irregularly 

 branched panicles 3-12" broad at the ends of the branches. Tepals 

 persistent, -OS-'l" long, unequal, one or two outer suborbicular or 

 ovate sometimes emarginate and inner whorl usually narrower. 

 Stamens exserted, filaments persistent. Drupe globose with a pro- 

 duced base, -2" diam., red or finally black with black endocarp, 

 1 -seeded, rarely more. 



Deltaic forests of the Mahanadi, Cuttack ! Fl. r.s. Fr. up to the following 

 May. 



FAM. 143. COMMELINACEiE. 



Annual or perennial herbs, rarely somewhat fruticose. Leaves 

 with a midrib and more slender parallel nerves, sheath alwaj^s present, 

 rarely shortly petioled above the sheath. Inflorescence various. 

 Flowers heterochlamydeous more or less irregular, usually 2-sexual. 

 Outer perianth whorl sepaloid, often persistent, inner of 3 usually 

 blue or red petals, often united into a tube at the base, marcescent. 

 Stamens typically in 2-3-merous whorls, inserted at base of corolla, 

 2 or more often reduced to staminodes, filaments often bearded with 

 jointed hairs, anthers oblong or globose, often dissimilar. Ovary 

 superior, 2-3-celled with terminal style and small stigma. Ovules 

 1 or few axile, orthotropous. Fruit loculicidal or indehiscent. Seeds 

 angled Avith smooth or rugose testa and copious floury albumen. 

 Embryo minute in the peripherj'^ of the albumen, remote from the 

 hilum. 



The placentation is axile, the seeds showing a characteristic lateral (axile) 

 umborxate or clypeal hilum, the ends where touching other seeds are truncate or 

 even concave, the free end of the terminal seeds however often conical. 

 I. Fertile anthers 3-2, staminodes 3-4 : — 



Inflorescence few-fid. enclosed in large conduplicate spathes . 1. Commdina. 

 Inflorescence not enclosed, bracts small . . . .2. Aneilema. 



II. Fertile anthers 6 (rarely 5), staminodes : — 



A. Petals combined into a tube below. Ovules usually 2 in 



each cell : — 



Sepals free. Fls. sometimes enclosed by large imbri- 

 cating bracts or axillary . . . . . .3. Cyanotic. 



Sepals united into a tube. Not indigenous . . . Zebrina 



B. Petals free or nearly so. Ovary with one ovule in each (p. 1083). 



cell :— 

 Fls. sub-globose, secund on the branches of a close panicle. 



Ovary 2-celled . . . . . . .4. Floscopa. 



Ovary 3-celled. Not indigenous Rhoeo 



(p. 1083). 



1. COMMELINA, L. 



Herbs, sometimes tuberous, usually slender and creeping below. 

 Flowers emerging (usually only one at a time) from and retracted into 

 a large spathaceous complicate bract or spathe, in few-fld. usually 

 2-nate or 2-fid cymes, those of upper branch deciduous, one or more 

 of lower branch fertile, pedicel sharply recurved and thickened in 

 fruit. Sepals 3, membranous, 2 inner often connate at the base. 

 Stamens 3 perfect and 2-3 imperfect ; anthers oblong, one usually 

 largest. Ovary 3- rarely 2-celled, 2 cells 1-2-ovuled, third cell, if 

 present, 1-ovuIed or empty. Capsule loculicidal, or third cell inde- 



1074 



