Order 54. Samydacece. 123 



Very common throughout India and Ceylon, and distributed over 

 the warmer parts of the whole world 



2. /. suffruticosa (J. villosa, D.). Tall and erect, softly hairy 

 almost all over, leaves lanceolate tapering into the petiole, 

 flowers almost sessile yellow, calyx tube very long with 2 

 bracts, lobes and petals 4, capsule bluntly 4-angled with innu- 

 merable seeds. Pdnlavang. 



The Konkan and Ghauts : not particularly common, I believe; but 

 E. makes it as common and as widely distributed as the last. 



The flowers recall the evening primrose. 



2. LUDWIGIA. 



L. parviflora. A small plant, erect, smooth and branched, 



leaves lanceolate, flowers 2 or 3 together, small, yellow, nearly 



sessile, calyx lobes and petals cruciate, capsule slightly 4 or 5- 



angled, seeds red. 



In moist places in the Konkan and Guzerat. Throughout India (#.) 



3. TRAPA. 



T. bispinosa. Stem thick ; submersed leaves in thread-like 

 segments, floating leaves whorled, broad reniform or angular, 

 covered with brown hairs beneath, the petioles with large oval 

 vesicles, flowers white, disk angular, yellow and hairy, fruit 

 long-stalked with two straight barbed spurs. Shingari. Sanscrit, 

 Sringata. 



The water-chestnut, a very pleasant eatable nut. "The Hindoos 

 were so fond of its nut that they placed it among their lunar con- 

 stellations." Sir W. Jones. 



Common in tanks, especially in Gnzerat. 



Several species of evening primrose (uiEnothera) and of Fuchsia 

 are found in gardens. 



ORDER 54. SAMYDACE.E. 



Trees or shrubs, with simple alternate often bifarious leaves, 

 flowers small, inconspicuous, regular, petals often wanting, fruit 

 2 to 5-valved. 



This is small and uninteresting tropical order, differing from the 

 last in the ovary being almost or altogether superior. It resembles a 

 tribe of Bixinea (H.). ; but Balfour put it in the Monochlamyds. 



CASEARIA. Flowers clustered in the axils, pedicels short, 

 jointed, calyx 4 or 5-lobed, petals none, stamens about double 

 the calyx lobes, more or less united, with staminodes alternating 

 seeds many, with a flesh-coloured aril. 



