Melhania.\ xxvu. STERCULIACE^E. (Maxwell T. Masters.) 373 



WESTERN PENINSULA and BIRMA. 



A shrub, cano-tomentose, branches spreading. Leaves 23 in., pubescent on both 

 surfaces, white beneath, 5-nerved ; petiole 1 in. Stipules setaceous, scarcely shorter 

 than the petiole. Peduncles axillary and terminal, 3-flowered. Bracteoles recurved 

 at the edges. Sepals lanceolate, cuspidate, villous. Petals yellow, obovate, oblique, 

 longer than the sepals. Staminodes ligulate. Capsule ovoid, obscurely truncated at 

 the top, villous, shorter than the calyx, 5-celled, cells many-seeded. Seeds oblong, 

 somewhat 4-sided, truncated, tubercled. 



VAR. 1. tomentosa ; leaves rounded or subcordate at the base densely tomentose 

 obtuse, petals hardly exceeding the sepals. Pentapetes tomentosa, Wall. Cat. 1156. 

 Dry places on the banks of the Irawaddi, Wall. 



VAR. 2. abutiloides, Arn. (sp.) ; leaves deeply cordate cano-tomentose more mem- 

 branous acute or acuminate, petals much exceeding the sepals. Wight. Ic. t. 23. 

 Western Peninsula. 



5. M. futteyporensis, Munro in Herb. Hook; leaves oblong acu- 

 minate serrate base cordate, bracteoles equalling the calyx cordate-oblong 

 acute margins recurved, sepals lanceolate cuspidate. M. Hamiltqniana, 

 Munro, Hort. Agrens. 9 (not of Wall). 



NORTH WESTERN INDIA, from the Indus Valley, alt. 2500 ft., Stewart, to Demi, 

 Falconer, and Bundelkhund, Edgeworth; SINDH, Stocks. . 



A cano-pubescent shrub. Leaves 3 by 2 in., petiole 1 in. Stipules setaceous. 

 Peduncles axillary and terminal, 2-4-flowered, twice the length of the petiole. Flowers 

 1 in. diam. Capsule 4 in., oblong, villous, scarcely so long as the sepals. 



6. IH. tomentosa, Stocks in Herb. Hook. ; leaves oblong-lanceolate 

 crenate-serrate, base rounded, peduncles terminal cyniose, bracteoles oblong- 

 lanceolate cuspidate shorter than the sepals. M. abutiloides, Aitch. Cat. 

 Punj. PI. 23^>ar%, not of Arn. 



The PANJAB, Aitchison ; SINDH, Stocks. 



A cano-tomentose shrub. Leaves 2 by IJin. ; thinly stellate-hairy above, paler and 

 softly pubescent beneath ; petiole f in. Peduncles about the length of the leaves, 2 - 

 3-flowered. Bracteoles ^ in., margins not recurved. Sepals f in., oblong-cuspidate, 

 tomentose. Cap-side oblong, villotis, shorter than the calyx. Seeds muricate, angled. 

 Nearly allied to M. futteyporensis, but with flowers about half the size. 



7. DC. Denhami, Br. in Denh. & Clapp. Voy. App. 233 ; leaves ovate- 

 oblong crenate-serrate 5-nerved at the base, bracteoles cordate-renifonn 

 accrescent membranous. Mast, in Oliv. Trop. Afr. i. 230. M. bracteosa, 

 Boiss. FL Orient, i. 841. Brotera bracteosa, Guill. et Perr. Fl. Seneg. i. 80, 

 t. 17. Cardiostegia Kotschyi, Presl. Epimel. Bot. 249. 



Hills of SINDH, Stocks. DISTRIB. Beloochistan, Tropical Africa and Arabia. 



Suffruticose, cano-tomentose. Branches spreading. Leaves 1| in., elliptic, stellate- 

 hairy above, hoary-pubescent beneath ; petiole ^-1 in. Stipules setaceous. Peduncles 

 as long as the petiole, 3-flowered. Sepals ovate-lanceolate. Petals yellow. Capsule 

 spheroid, downy, hardly as long as the calyx. Seeds 1 or 2 in each cell. The flowers 

 open in the evening. 



11. MSLOCHIA. Linn. 



Herbs or undershrubs, more or less downy. Leaves simple. Flowers 

 small, clustered or loosely panicled. Sepals 5, connate below. Petals 5, 

 spathulate, marcescent. Stamens 5, opposite to the petals, connate below 

 into a tube ; anthers extrorse, 2-lobed, lobes parallel. Ovary sessile, 5-celled ; 

 cells opposite the petals, 2-ovuled ; styles 5, free or connate at the base. 

 Capsule loculicidally 5-valved. Seeds ascending, albuminous; embryo 

 straight, cotyledons flat, radicle next the hilum. DISTRIB. Species about 50, 

 natives of the warmer regions of both hemispheres. 



