26 OXLIII. COMMELINACE^ (CLARKE). [PolUa. 



Tribe I. PoUleae. — Fruit indehiscent. Inflorescence 

 a panicle / no spathaceous bracts. 

 Fruit crustaceous. Marpin of leaves nearly prlabrous . 1. PoLLiA. 

 Fruit succulent. Margin of leaves brown-silky . 2. PalisotA. 



Tribe II. Coxnmelinese. — Capsule 2-'S-valved. Fer- 

 tile stamens 3—2. 

 Racemes 2-1, euclosed or half-enclosed within a spathe- 

 like folded bract. 



Spathes scattered, or clustered . . . .3. Commelina. 

 Spathes on the elongate branches of the panicle . 4. Polyspatha. 

 Inflorescence various ; without conspicuous folded 

 bracts. 



Sepals small, obtuse 5. Aneilema. 



Sepals ^ in. long, lanceolate, acute . . .6. Anthericopsis. 



Tribe III. Tradescantlese. — Capsule 2-3-valved. 

 Fertile stamens 6-5. 

 Capsule 3-ceiled. 



Seeds 4-10 in each cell. Panicle loose . . 7. Bfeoerestia. 

 Seeds 2-1 in each cell. Cymes often dense. 

 Peduncle perforating the base of the leaf- 

 sheath 8. FORRESTIA. 



Peduncle not perforating the leaf-sheath . 9. Ctanotis. 

 Capsule 2-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell . . 10. Floscopa. 



1. POLLIA, Thunb.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 846. 



Sepals 3. Petals 3, small, obovate, white or pale rose. Stamens 6 

 subequal, or 3 and 3 staminodes; filaments without hairs. Ovary 

 ovoid ; cells 3, equal or the dorsal smaller, r)-10-ovuled (in the African 

 species). Capsule globose or ellipsoid, indehiscent ; pericarp crustaceous, 

 ultimately shining blue or lead-coloured ; seeds 5-10 in each cell, flat- 

 tened trapezoid. — Stem often rooting at the base. Leaves lanceolate or 

 obovate- lanceolate, approximate towards the top of the stem; not 

 densely brown-silky on the lower surface near the margin. Panicle 

 terminal, either loose, or denpe short-ovoid. Bracts within the panicle 

 small. 



Species 14, scattered in the warmer parts of the Old World. 



Fertile stamens 6 ; panicle loose . . . . 1. P. Mannii. 



Fertile stamens 3 ; bead dense . . . . 2. P. condensata. 



1. P. Mannii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 124. Nearly 

 glabrous. Stems 1-2 ft. long, slender, trailing or suberect, rooting at 

 the base. Leaves 4 by 1 in., broadly lanceolate, acuminate at either 

 end ; pseudo-petiole \-\ in. long. Panicle 2 by 1| in., 12-18-flowered, 

 loose ; bracts up to J in. long, lanceolate. Stamens 6 fertile, subequal. 

 Capsule i by J in., 24-seeded. — Durand ife Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421 ; 

 Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. 1. 



Upper Guinea. Cameroons ; Yaunde, 2700 ft., Zenker Sf Staudt, 409 ! 



Iiower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas : 2000 ft., Mann, 1098 ! at Angolares, 



