494 cix. ACANTHACE^. (C. B. Clarke.) [Asystasia. 



glabrate, racemes compound many-fld., lower pedicels longer than the 

 pubescent calyx, corolla -f in. purple. T. Anders, in Thwaites Enum. 

 236. 



CEYLON; Walker, Thwaites, &c. TRAVANCORE and TINNEVELLY HILLS; 

 ^Beddome (wild). DISTRIB. Cultivated in S. India and Malabar. 



Leaves 5J by If in., lower all cuneate or acuminate at the base, punctate or 

 puberulous or with scattered hairs (without the dull grey pubescence of A. coro- 

 mandeliana) ; nerves 6-8 pair. Racemes usually panicled, often peduncled, some- 

 times 50 60-fld. ; lower pedicels ^ in. Capsule nearly of A. coromandeliana. 

 Described from Nees' type specimen marked A. chelonoides, Var. o, in Nees' hand. 

 It is the species with numerous small purple flowers much cultivated in S. India ; 

 and Col. Beddome believes it to be wild in S. Malabar, but there are no specimens 

 except from Ceylon. 



VAR. amcena ; more hairy, leaves hairy on both surfaces, sepals subhirsute, corolla 

 as of A. chelonoides, type. Arracan ; forests near Akyab, Kurz. 



VAR. quadrangularis ; stem acutely quadrangular, leaves ovate or narrowly lan- 

 ceolate glabrate, corolla small as of A. chelonoides, type. A. coromandeliana, Var. 

 variabilis, Nees in DC Prodr. xi. 165. A. nemorum, Var. B, T. Anders, in Journ. 

 Linn. Soc. ix. 525. Ruellia quadrangula-is, Heyne in Herb. Rottler. Wynaad ; 

 Rottler. Anamallays ; Bedd. Ceylon; Macrae, Thwaites. Leaves very variable; 

 in Macrae's example 1 by f in., in Beddome's 7 by 1 in., in Thwaites' 2 by I in. 



4. A. violacea , Dalz. ms., not in Hook. Kew Journ. ii. 139 ; leaves 

 large subovate lower narrowed at base, lower pedicels shorter than the hairy 

 calyx, corolla 1^-1$ i n - fine blue. A. chelonoides, Nees in DC. Prodr. xi. 

 164, Var. /3 only ; T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 525, chiefly. A. nemo- 

 rum, Nees in Wall. PI. As. Rar. iii. 90, and in DC. Prodr. xi. 167 (except 

 the Nilgiri material). A. coromandeliana, Hot. Mag. t. 4248. Ruellia 

 filiformis, Heyne in Herb. Rottler. R. coromandeliana, Wall. Cat. 2399, 

 type sheet partly. 



W. DECCAN PENINSULA, alt. 2-6000 ft., frequent ; Rottler, &c. 



Leaves often 6^ by 2| in., membranous, green, sparsely pubescent or glabrate. 

 Calyx-segments nearly ^ in., narrowly oblong, acute. Capsule 1-1^ in. Described 

 from specimens named by himself, which are identical with Wight's Herb. Propr. 

 n. 1952. In his original description Dalzell says the flowers of A. violacea are about 

 half as large as those of A. coromandeliana, and the description appears to belong 

 altogether to A. chelonoides, Nees' type ; but in Dalz. fy Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 186 the 

 character of A. violacea is at once shortened and widened. 



5. A. crispata, Benth. in Linnaa 1851, 647 ; leaves elliptic or oblong 

 acuminate lower narrowed into the petiole repand crispately crenulate 

 glabrate, lower pedicels shorter than the pnbesceut calyx, corolla 1 in. white 

 with rose or dark purple dots in the palate. T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. 

 Soc. ix. 526. A. nemorum, Nees in Wall. PL As. Rar. iii. 90, and in DC. 

 Prodr. xi. 167, as to the Nilgiri material ; T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. Soc. 

 ix. 524. A. coromandeliana, Wight Ic. t. 1506, not of Nees. Ruellia 

 chelonoides, Wall. Cat. 2335 chiefly, not Asystasia chelonoides, Nees. 



MTS. of S. DECCAN PENINSULA, alt. 4-8000 ft. ; Rottler, WigM, &c., common 

 about Ooty. 



Leaves very variable in width, nearly always crisped subcrenulate ; upper often 

 sessile, with base rounded. Flowers very constant in colour. Capsule as of A. 

 coromandeliana. This species (as also A. chelonoides) is so closely allied to A. 

 coromandeliana that Col. Beddome says he can hardly distinguish them but by the 

 colour of the flower. They sort out pretty well in the Herbarinm, and among the 

 large non-Indian material there is nothing like A. chelonoides or crispata. 



6. A. travancorica, Bedd. Ic. PI. Ind. Or. t. 178 ; leaves elongate- 



