274 LXXVIII. COMPOSITE. (J. D. Hooker.) [Epaltes. 



30. EPALTES, Cass. 



Herbs. Leaves alternate, usually decurrent. Heads small, solitary or 

 corymbose, heterogamous, disciform ; outer fl. oo -seriate, $ , fertile, corolla 

 much shorter than the style, filiform, 2-3-toothed; disk-fl. $> usually sterile, 

 tubular, limb 3-5-h'd. Involucre broad ; bracts GO -seriate, dry, rigid ; receptacle 

 flat or convex or raised, naked. Anther-bases sagittate, auricles minute, con- 

 nate ; tails small. Style of Q subulate, entire or 2-fid. Achenes of $ 

 subterete, 5-10-ribbed, pappus 0; of $ usually abortive, pappus-hairs 2-3, 

 caducous or 0. DISTRIB. Species 9, Tropical Asiatic, African, and American. 



1. E. divaricata, Cass. ; DC. in Wight Contrib. 16 ; Prodr. y. 461 ; heads 

 \-% in. diam. subsolitary globose, invol. bracts finely acuminate inner longer 

 than the flowers. Dalz. $ J Gibs. Bomb. FL 126 ; Clarke Comp. Ind. 96 (excl. 

 syn. E.pyymcea) ; Wall. Cat. 2988. E. linearifolia, DC. I. c. Ethulia divari- 

 cata, Linn. ; Burm, FL Ind. 170, t. 58, f. 1. 



WESTERN PENINSULA ; watery places from the Concan southwards. BIRMA, at 

 Prome, Wallich. CEYLON, abundant. DISTRIB. Java, China. 



Glabrous, annual, 4-8 in. high, branched from the base ; branches divaricate, 

 winged. Leaves l-2 in., linear, linear-oblong or lanceolate, narrowed at the base, 

 toothed or entire, decurrent. Heads on winged peduncles, when ripe dull purplish, 

 with the invol. bracts almost pungent. Achenes ~ in., pale, obovate-oblong. 



2. E. pyg-maea, DC. Prodr. v. 461 ; heads in. diam., invol. bracts 

 broad obtuse or acute shorter than the flowers. 



The CARNATIC, Belanger, Wight. 



This occurs in Wight's Herbarium mixed with E. divaricata, from which it widely 

 differs in the smaller size, the shape and size of the heads of the invol. bracts, and 

 more still in the achenes, which are not half the size (about ^ in.), more oblong, 

 black and obscurely ribbed. There is a fragment of this in Wallich's Herbarium, 

 collected by Rottler, and mixed with E. divaricata. 



31. SPHJERANTHUS, Linn. 



Low annuals with spreading branches. Leaves alternate, toothed, decurrent. 

 Heads small, in terminal solitary globose clusters, which are usually involucrate 

 by a few empty bracts, sessile on a common receptacle and bracteate or not, 

 heterogamous, disciform ; outer fl. <j> , few or many, fertile, slender, minutely 

 2-3-toothed ; disk-fl. , solitary or few, fertile or sterile, tube thickened, limb 

 4-5-toothed. Involucre narrow ; bracts narrow, acute, dry, unequal ; receptacle 

 small, naked. Anther-bases sagittate, auricles acute or tailed. Style-arms of 

 filiform or connate. Achenes oblong, subcompressed ; pappus 0. DISTRIB. 

 Species 8, Tropical Asiatic, African and Australian. 



1. S. amaranthoides, Burm.; DC. Prodr. v. 370; erect, glabrous, 

 branches not winged, leaves linear-oblong narrowed at the base decurrent obtuse 

 serrulate, clusters of heads subsessile ovoid glabrous, bracts imbricating spines- 

 cent. Clarke Comp. Ind. 96. S. zeylanicus, Heyne in Watt. Cat. 3180 A.B. 

 Oligolepis amaranthoides, Wight in Cole. Journ. Nat. Hist. vii. 161 ; Ic. t. 

 1149. 



SOUTHERN MYSORE and TRAVANCORE; in rice fields, Wight. CEYLON, not un- 

 common. 



Stem sometimes as thick as the little finger, but short, branches 8-12 in. Leaves 

 2-4 in. Heads -1 in. 



