TAB. XXXIX, ; 
CYANOTIS NOBILIS. 
5. Cyanotis nobilis Hassk. Commelynaces p. 148. Cyanotis sp. 17 Hook. f. et Th.in Herb. Cyanotis sp. Griffith, 
No. 5503. Cyanotis nodiflora C. B. Clarke, in Linn. Journ. XI. p. 453. 
Folia lineari-lanceolata. Racemuli Scorpioidei, ad nodos dense congesti, ssepius capitula remota quasi-globosa 
efformantes. Semina rugoso-punctata. 
Hab. In Assam : in collibus Khasia ad 500-4000 ped. alt. 
Distributio Indica, In Burma. 
Vidi specimina viva spontanea numerosa. 
This plant extends over a narrow area from Assam to Pegu, 
Dr. Hasskarl is in geographical error in stating that Drs. Hooker, Thomson and Griffith collected it in the Peninsula. 
Cyanotis longifolia of Wight which is adduced by Dr. Hasskarl as a synonym, is a truly Peninsula plant, but it is so exceedingly unlike 
C. nobilis that it cannot be referred here without a wholesale reduction of species. 
I do not see still how this plant differs from the South African Cyanotis nodiflora. There is an additional objection to the 
name C. nobilis that the present plant is a very scrubby species and by no means has the noble flowers of C. longifolia Wight. 
Finally, I still doubt whether it should not be made, with C. barbata and many other species, a variety of C. fasciculata. 
In Griffith's specimen No. 5503 most of the capsules have six truncate seeds as usual : but in many capsules there are only 
three seeds : and I judge from the shape of these seeds that in this case the cells of the ovary were originally 1-oyulate. The parallel 
case in Forrestia below described leads to the same conclusion and throws grave doubt on the goodness of such species as Commelyna 
Sikkimensis. 
Besides species of Cyanotis already referred to, there are preserved in the Calcutta Herbarium specimens of C, disrumpens, 
papilionacea, Thomsoni, concanensis (or Stocksii) : for which see Hasskarl’s Commelynaces. And there are other Indian specimens of 
Cyanotis not exactly referable to any of these. 
All those plants that have the seeds and capsule of Cyanotis barbata, faleate lanceolate bracts and scorpioid racemuli, I 
should incline to throw into one species whatever the nature of the hairiness or the degree of development of the plants. 
Cyanotis vivipara Dalzell is very distinct. 
EXPLICATIO TABULAZ XXXIX. 
Planta ex specimine exsiecato Khasiano depicta. 
, J, Capsula matura triquetra a latere visa. 
2. Capsule dehiscentis horizontalis sectio. 
8, Semina ex unico loculo ejusdem capsule in situ ab externa facie visa. 
4, Semina eadem ab interna facie visa, 
5, Capsula ex specimine Griffithii No, 5503, a latere visa, 
6. Capsule ejusdem horizontalis sectio, 
7. Semen (solitarium) e loculo unico ejusdem capsule ab externa facie visa. 
8. Semen idem ab interna facie visa, 
Note. Since this plate was struck off, I have collected a series of plants of Cyanotis which leaves little doubt in my mind that C. nobilis is only 
an extreme form of C. barbata. 
