1. Canna.] 157. CANNACE.E. 



reflexcd emarginate at the truncate apex. Capsule globose -75" with round 

 black hard seeds the size of a pea. 



FAM. 158. MARANTACEiE. 



Perennial herbs or shrubs of various habit with distichous closely 

 penniveined unequal-sided leaves with a long or short petiole above 

 the sheath with a characteristic knee or swelling. Flowers mod.- 

 sized or rather small paired in the bract axils and bracts distichously 

 (exc. Calafhea) arranged in spikes, or panicled. Flowers asymmetric. 

 Calyx and corolla usually distinct. Sepals 3 free. Corolla-tube with 

 3 petals. Androecium tubular beloAv. Of the 3 stamens of the outer 

 whorl only 1 or 2 are developed as petaloid staminodes (lateral 

 staminodes) or sometimes all 3 fail. Of the inner staminal whorl, 

 one stamen only is fertile, and this has only one perfect anther-cell, 

 the other half of the stamen being petaloid ; the other two are stami- 

 nodes of peculiar form, one contracted above and furnished on one side 

 with a hood-hke appendage (cucullate staminode), and a broader often 

 hardened staminode (callous staminode or labellum). Ovary inferior, 

 3-celled, or through suppression, 1 -celled. Style stout, curved, often 

 lobed above, at first included in the cucullate staminode. Ovule 1 in 

 each cell. Fruit dry or flesh}-, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seed with 

 perisperm and curved embrj'o and usually arillate. 

 I. Ovary 3-celled :— 



A. Su£fniticose, 2-chotomously branched. Fls. terminal . 1 Clinogyne. 



B. Herbaceous. Stem short, unbranched or rhizomatous : — 



Stem with 1 leaf and a lateral head of flowers . . 2. Phryniinn. 



Stem or rhizome several leaved. Fls. densely spicate . Calathea, 

 II. Ovary 1-celled :— " (p. 1149). 



luflor. terminal, fl. pedicelled on the slender branches . . Z. Maranta. 



1. CLINOGYNE, Salisb. 



Shrubby or sub-herbaceous with tuberous or woody rootstock and 

 copiously 2-chotomously branched leafy stems. Flowers mod. -sized 

 paired in terminal panicles or panicled spikes with long narrow bracts. 

 Sepals short free. Petals narrow, conn i vent. Staminal-tube cylindric 

 with obovate petaloid unequal segments and a 1-celled anther adnate 

 to the margin of staminal segment. Ovary 3-celled, style adnate 

 below to the staminal tube, free and hooked above with capitate 

 hollow stigma. Ovules 1 in each cell. Fruit indehiscent with 1-3 

 subglobose seeds with a lacerate aril and curved embryo. 



1. C. dichotoma, Salisb. Khorsong, Or. ; Kanchan, Khond. ; Mukta- 

 pati, Beng. (/, Roxb.). 

 A bamboo -like undershrub with slender cjlindrical stems attaining 

 10-12 ft. high and 1" diam. Leaves ovate to elliptic -oblong or ovate- 

 oblong, 4-6", cuspidate, rounded at base. Flowers white in short 

 2- rarelj^ 3-fld. lateral bracteate, shortly panicled racemes with dry 

 lanceolate bracts 1-5-2" long. Sepals -3" long. Petals 1-2". 

 Staminal tube elongate. Labellum with a hard saccate base. Ovary 



1148 



