146. H.^MODORACE.E. 



in the middle. Tepals -3- -4 rarely -5", sometimes narrowly oblong and obtuse. 

 Fil. -15- -2". Style declinate. 



Fruiting scape often 18" long. Capsules 1-3 at each node, -25- -3" each way 

 or •■4" diam. retuse or truncate. Seeds 1-6 in each cell, -1" wide suborbicular 

 compressed but somewhat cordate or retuse at the hilum with a small prominence 

 in the recess, black, tiu-gid, minutely tessellate or punctate, not at all rugose. 



Opens in the morning and closes in the afternoon. This is the most common 

 species in the hill forests of our area. 



The flowers are eaten. 



2. C. tuberosum, Baker. Syn. Anthericum tuberosum, Roxb. 



A very pretty herb with broadly linear leaves and erect or nodding 

 lax-flowered racemes 4-lU" long of pure white flow^ers 1-1-3" diam., 

 the tepals elliptic with rounded tips. Anthers yellow recurved 

 usually shorter than their slender filaments. Bracts mostly shorter 

 than the buds, which have slender pedicels. 



Santal Parganas (Rajmahal Hills) ! Open forest lauds usually on the gneiss 

 and below the laterite in the lulls of Ranchi and Palamau ! Fl. May-June. Fr. 

 c.s. 



A much more slender and graceful plant than the last and with larger and prettier 

 flowers. Root-fibres soon sweUing into long cylindrical tubers 2-5" long, but only 

 about -3" diameter. L. -3- -6" wide, widest a little above the base, and tapering 

 to the acuminate tip, base sheathing. Panicle rarely with 1 or more slender 

 upright branches. Fls. mostly in pairs • 3- • 7" apart and raceme 2-5" long, often 

 half expanded and reminding one of snowdrops. Bracts very slender, lowest 

 attaining 1" with broad scarious base faintly 3-nerved, convolute above and linear 

 setaceous. Pedicels slender, -5" articulate above the middle. Tepals -.5- -6" ell., 

 eU.-oblong, or sometimes obovate. Fil. -2", slender, glabrous, anthers papillose. 

 Capsule (unripe) as broad as long, cells 1-seeded. 



It opens in the morning and continues more or less open until evening. 



3. C. laxum, Br. 



A small herb with distichous grass-like leaves and a very slender 

 somewhat flexuose scape of small greenish- white flowers arranged 

 in distant pairs in the axils of small membranous bracts. 



In thin soil overlying rocks on the pats of Ranchi and Palamau ! Fl. May-June. 



Roots ending at the distance of several inches in small tubers. L. 2-6" long 

 linear acuminate sUghtly keeled, rather thin and shining, usually under -5° wide, 

 Scape sometimes bifm'cate and bract eate at the fork. Tepals scarcely ■2" erect. 

 Anthers green with yellow pollen, minute. 



Opens only in bright sunshine and never seen widely expanded. 



Anthericum variegatum, Hort. = C. elatum, R. Br. 



An attractive small plant -with a fascicle of fleshy roots and tufts 

 of leaves 12-18" long lined with green and white. Inflorescence an 

 ample panicle of branched racemes Avith distant clusters of small 

 white flowers. Perianth •3-- 5". Common in verandahs and grass 

 greenhouses. Native of 8. Africa. 



FAM. 146. HiEMODORACE^. 



Perennial herbs, mostly growing under shade with usually radical, 

 distichous, narrow leaves with parallel nerves. Flowers 2-sexual, 

 regular, in scapose spikes, racemes or panicles. Perianth petaloid, 

 persistent, segment free or more or less connate, 2-seriate, imbricate 

 or induplicate-valvate. Stamens 6 inserted opposite the tepals, 

 or 3 only inserted at the base of the inner tepals ; anthers erect or 



1099 



