Feb. 1895.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 359 



IroMCEA Pes-capk.e, Eoth. — Baker, Flor. Maur. Seych., 

 p. 211. 26th October 1888. Common. Stem-juice milky. 

 Corolla pale purple, ^Yitll a dark purple throat. 



Phyllanthus maukitiands, H. H. Johnston, in Trans. 

 Bot. Soc. Ediu., vol. xx., p. 329. 26th October 1888. 

 Very common. 



Eoots fibrous, brown. Stem short, with numerous simple, 

 wiry, terete, glabrous, procumbent or rarely erect, leafy 

 branches ^-Q inches long. Leaves moderately close, 

 alternate, shortly petioled, l-^ inch long, obovate or 

 roundish-obovate, entire, very obtuse, with a rounded or 

 cuneate base, glabrous, dark green above, glaucous or pale 

 purplish-green beneath, sub-coriaceous, penni-nerved; petiole 

 ^'s inch long, glabrous ; stipules ^ inch long, lanceolate, 

 acute, entire, glabrous. Flowers monoecious, one male 

 and one female together in the axils of most of the leaves, 

 or rarely two male flowers without a female flower in 

 the same axil, shortly pedicellate. Female flowers borne 

 on glabrous pedicels 3*6 inch long. Perianth deeply 

 6-lobed, persistent ; lobes 3 outer and 3 inner, 4^5 inch 

 long, oblong-obovate, obtuse, entire, glabrous. Glands 3, 

 opposite the inner perianth-lobes, oblong, truncate, entire, 

 glabrous, membranous. Ovary glabrous, 3 -celled, with 2 

 ovules in each cell ; styles 3, bifid, spreading, glabrous. 

 Capsules oq-tV i'lch broad, depresso-globose, glabrous 

 crowned wath the persistent styles. Seeds 4*0 inch long, 

 triquetrous, with flat sides and convex back, glabrous, 

 brown, finely ribbed longitudinally and transversely barred 

 on the back. Male flowers smaller and borne on shorter 

 pedicels than the female flowers. Perianth deeply 6-lobed ; 

 lobes 3 outer and 3 inner, gV inch long, oblong-obovate, 

 obtuse, entire, glabrous. Glands 6, alternate with the 

 perianth-lobes, roundish, glabrous. Stamens 3, central, 

 without a rudimentary ovary. 



P. mauritianus is distinguished from P. Urinaria, 

 Linn., by having glabrous branches ; small obovate or 

 roundish-obovate, non-mucronate leaves, ^-i inch long ; 

 smooth capsules 20— iV i^^^ch broad ; and triquetrous seeds 

 4'o inch long, transversely and longitudinally ribbed on the 

 convex back, without any pits on the sides. In P. Urin- 

 aria the branches are minutely hispid ; leaves \-l inch 



