Diotacanthus.] cix. ACANTHACE.E. (C. B. Clarke.) 515 



XXXIII. DIOTACANTHUS, Benth. 



Corolla- tube short, limb large ventricose 2-lipped. Otherwise as PJtloga- 

 canthus or Cystacanthus. Species 2, S. Malabaria. 



1. X>. grandis, Benth. in Gen. PL ii. 1101 ; glabrous, leaves large 

 lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, panicles axillary peduncled raany-fld. 

 mostly exceeding the leaves, corolla crimson. Phlogacauthus grandis, Bedd. 

 Ic. PI. Ind. Or. t. 179. 



TINNEVELLY and TRAVANCORE, alt. 3-4000 ft. ; Seddome. 



A shrub, 8-12 ft. Leaves 7 by 2^ in., attenuate at both ends, undulate, obscurely 

 crenate ; nerves 12 pair ; petiole | in. Peduncles 2-5 in., stout, compressed ; panicles 

 often 4-8 in.; bracts at its divisions f in., linear; proper bracts in., linear. Sepals 

 5 in., linear. Corolla minutely pubescent, tube in., limb f in. ; upper lip emargi- 

 nate, lower shortly 3-lobed. Filaments as long as the corolla, stout, minutely 

 scabrous. Style minutely pubescent, subentire. Capsule 1 by -^ in., 24-seeded. 

 Seeds much compressed, orbicular in outline, minutely crisped-pubescent. 



2. D. albiflorus, Benth. in Gen. PI. ii. 1101 ; nearly glabrous, leaves 

 elliptic acute at both ends, panicles axillary peduncled few-nd. shorter than 

 the leaves, corolla pure white. Phlogacanthus albiflorus, Bedd. Ic. PL Ind. 

 Or. t. 180. 



S. TINNEVELLY, alt. 3-5000 ft., and near Courtallum, Seddome. 



A shrub, 6-10 ft. Leaves 5 by 1| in., subentire; nerves 7 pair; petiole \\ in. 

 Peduncles 1-2 in., slender; panicles 1-1| in., depressed corymbiform. Calyx, 

 corolla and capsule nearly as of D. grandis. Beddome describes the filaments as 

 " much dilated below, articulated near the apex, quite black above the articulation ;" 

 this character being remarkable in the Acanthacece, Mr. Bentham refers to (Gen. PI. 

 ii. 1101) the articulation of the filaments. But in a prolonged examination of the 

 very filaments supplied by Beddome no articulation whatever has been made out by 

 myself and Prof. Oliver. 



XXXIV. XiEPXDAGATHXS, Willd. 



Herbs or undershrubs, with often pubescent bracts or leaves. Leaves 

 entire or crenate-serrate. Flowers sessile, usually capitate, sometimes 

 opposite or solitary ; heads terminal or axillary, dense (rarely lax), usually 

 1-sided, often fascicled ; bracts usually larger than the calyx-segments, 

 rarely small ; bracteoles narrower than the bracts. Calyx deeply 5-lobed ; 

 segments unequal, the 2 anterior more or less connate (calyx 4-partite). 

 Corolla small (except in L. longifolia], tubular, suddenly ventricose in 

 the middle, 2-lipped ; lower lip 3-lobed, patent, usually spotted. Stamens 

 4, didynamous ; anthers all 2-celled ; cells oblong, muticous, parallel, Or 

 one lower somewhat divergent. Stigma capitellate, minutely bifid or entire. 

 Capsule 2- or 4-seeded, elongate conoid or oblong. Seeds compressed, 

 ovate-oblong, or orbicular, hairy. Species 50 tropical, whereof 2 only 

 are American. 



Lepidagathis falcata & dulcis, Wall. Cat. 7166, 7167, came from Ava, outside 

 the bounds of British India. 



Sect. 1. Capsule 2-seeded, elongate-conic, dorsally scarious, thin, irregu- 

 larly tearing, only ultimately 2-valved from the subsolid tip. Seeds 

 ovate-lanceolate, with very long hair spreading elastically when wet, very 

 mucilaginous. 



L 1 2 



