Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 13 



Singapore; Penang ; Perak ; Andaman Islands, and probably in 

 all the other provinces ; Distrib. British India, Ceylon. 



A widely distributed plant to which many names have been given. It is 

 readily distinguished from J. repens, Linn, (the only other species common to the 

 tropics of both worlds) by its narrower leaves, membranons capsule and erect habit. 



2. LuDWiGiA, Linn. 



Herbs. Leaves alternate, undivided, sub-entire. Floivers usually 

 axillary, solitary, sessile or nearly so, peduncle 2-bracteate at its apex. 

 Calyx-tithe scarcely produced above the ovary, linear in the Indian 

 species; teeth 3-5, acute, persistent. Petals 3-5 (or 0), epigynous, 

 yellow. Stamens equaL in number to the calyx-segments, epigynous. 

 Ovary inferior, 4-5-celIed ; style simple, stigma capitate ; ovules very 

 many, attached in 2 or more vertical rows to the inner angle of each 

 cell. Capsule linear or oblong (in the Indian species), 4-5-celled, open- 

 ing by terminal pores or breaking up irregularly along the sides. Seeds 

 numerous, obovoid, smooth, raphe obscure or prominent but not large, 

 without coma. Distrir. Species 20, mostly in North America; extend- 

 ing from the cool temperate zone to the equator ; chiefly inhabitino- 

 marshes. 



Capsules inflated, seeds in several rows ... ... 1. L. 'parvijiora. 



Capsules filiform, not inflated ; seeds in a single row in 



each cell ... ... ... ... ... 2. L. prostrata. 



1. LuDWiGiA PARViFLORA, Roxb. Hort. Bcng. 11 ; Flor. Ind. I, 419. 

 An erect glabrous herb 8-24 in. high. Leaves lanceolate, linear-lanceo- 

 late or linear-oblong, narrowed to each end, 1-3 in long, and *25-'75 in. 

 broad. Flowers on short pedicels, usually 4-fid. Petals small. Capsule 

 inflated, obsoletely 4-angled, smooth, crowned for sometime by the 

 persistent calyx-teeth, •35-*5 in. long. Seeds in many rows in each cell. 

 DC. Prodr. Ill, 59; Wight 111. t. 101; W. & A. Prodr. 336; Dalz. & 

 Gibs. Bomb. Flor. 99; Benth. Flor. Austral. Ill, 307; Boiss. Flor. 

 Orient. II, 752 ; Kurz in .Tourn. As. Soc. 1877, Pt. II, 91 ; Clarke in 

 Hook. fil. Flor. Br. Ind. II, 588. L. lythroides, Blume Bijd. 1134 ; 

 DC. 1. c. B.jiissideoides, Wall. Cat. 6335 {not of Linn, and others). 



Peiiak; Scortechini 442; Wray 2720. Distrib. British India 

 and Ceylon. 



2. LuDWiGiA PROSTRATA, Roxb. Hort. Beng. 11; Flor. Ind. I, 420. 

 Stem prostrate, or decumbent at the base and then erect, 8-24 in. long, 

 glabrous. Leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute or acuminate 

 tapering to the base, 2-4 in. long and •35--75 in. broad. Flowers some- 

 times more than one in an axil, sessile, 4- fid. Petals lanceolate, longer 

 than the calyx. Capsule 4-angled, thin, filifoim, not at all inflated, 



357 



