Osbeckia.'] LX. MELASTOMACE^. (C. B. Clarke.) 513 



TEIBE III. Sonerileae. Seeds straight, oblong or cuneate, often angular, 

 raphe sometimes excurrent. Ovary flattened or depressed at the vertex. 

 Fruit capsular. 



Petals 3. Inflorescence scorpioid 10. SONERIIA. 



Petals 4. Flowers nearl^ sessile 11. SARCOPYRAMIS. 



Petals 4. Flowers in a long-peduncled head 12. PHYIXAGATHIS. 



TKIBE IV. Xttedinilleae. Seeds straight, cuneate or obovate, often angu- 

 lar. Connective often appendaged near the base. Fruit baccate. 



* Longer stamens having two long bristles attached to the base of the connec- 

 tive in front. 



Cymes lateral 13. MARUMIA. 



Panicles terminal 14. DISSOCHJETA. 



** Longer stamens having the connective at base variously appendaged but not 

 with two long bristles in front. 



Four vertical plates on the ovary 15. ANPLECTEUM. 



*** Stamens equal or nearly so. 



onnective at base without bristles behind . 16. MEDINIIXA. 



Connective at base with bristles behind . 17. POGONANTHERA. 







SUBORDER II. Astronieee. Ovary 4-5-celled; ovules very many on 

 parietal nearly basal placentas. Seeds very many. Anthers short opening by 

 fllits. Fruit baccate. 



Calyx-tube smooth. Panicles terminal ....*.... 18. ASTRONIA. 



Calyx-tube verrucose. Cymes small 19. PTERNANDRA. 



Calyx-tube with scales. Flowers solitary or clustered ... 20. KIBESSIA. 



SUBORDER III. XVXemecyleee. Ovary 1-celled 5 ovules about 9 on a basal 

 short free central placenta. Stamens equal ; anthers short, opening by pores 

 or short slits. Berry 1-seeded. Leaves usually pinnate-nerved. 



Stamens 8 , .21. MEMECYLON. 



1. OSBECKIA, Linn. 



Herbs or shrubs, mostly erect and setose ; branches commonly tetragonous. 

 Leaves opposite or sometimes ternate, entire, subcoriaceous, 3-7-nerved. Flowers 

 terminal, solitary capitate or panicled, purple mauve or white, often bracteate. 

 Calyx-tube ovoid, carrying stellate hairs or pectinate scales ; limb 5- or 4-fid, 

 usually stellately hairy (in O. aspera and O. Rheedii with simple hairs). Petals 

 5-4. Stamens 10 or 8, equal or subequal ; anthers oblong, truncate attenuate or 

 beaked ; connective not produced at the base, slightly swollen or with two 

 tubercles. Ovary inferior, 4-5-celled, more or less adherent to the calyx, setose 

 at the apex ; style long, simple ; ovules very numerous on placentas radiating 

 from the axis. Capsule opening by 4- 5 pores in its free vertex. Seeds very 

 many, curved through half a circle, covered with minute elevated points. Dis- 

 TRIB. An eminently Indian genus ; 29 out of the 32 species being found in 

 India, two in Malaya, one in Australia ; and one Indian species extending also to 

 China and North Australia. 



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