538 cix. ACANTHACE.E. (C. B. Clarke.) \Justicia. 



Stems 10-15 in., procumbent, branched, glabrous. Leaves 2 by ^ in., obtuse, 

 transversely lineolate above ; base long attenuate, petiole 0, or in some lower leaves 

 short. Spikes 2fc by | in., subinterrupted at base, longer or shorter than the peduncle ; 

 bracts ^ by ^--j-'g in., bracteoles in. Sepals -3 in., glistening ciliate on the margins 

 and keel, otherwise glabrate. Corolla ^ in. Capsule in. Nearly allied to J. notha, 

 differing principally in the glabrate leaves and very narrow bracts. 



48. J. diffusa, Willd. Sp. PL i. 87 ; leaves petioled elliptic acuminate 

 at both ends sparsely hairy, spikes slender sparsely hairy, bracts linear- 

 lanceolate or linear mostly shorter than the calyx, sepals lanceolate acute 

 minutely scabrous upwards. Both Nov. Sp. 14; Wall. Cat. 2444; T. 

 Anders in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 512. J. procnmbens, Linn, partly ; 

 Vahl Symb. ii. 14; Roxb. Fl. Ind. i. 132. Eostellularia diffusa, Nees'in 

 Wall. PL As. Bar. iii. 100, and in DC. Prodr. xi. 371 ; Dalz. $ Gibs. 

 Bomb.Fl. 193 (several of these citations referring partly or mainly to plants 

 here separately described as vars.). 



KUMAON and PUNJAB TEEAI ; Strachey Sf Winterbottom, &c. DECCAN PENIX- 

 STJLA and CEYLON, plentiful ; extending north to Chota Nagpore. RANGOON ; 

 M'Lelland. DISTEIB. Siam. 



Stems 1-2 ft., herbaceous, quadrangular, glabrous or minutely pubescent. Leaves 

 (well developed) 3 by 1 in. ; raphides large, sunk, on both surfaces ; petiole | in., 

 pubescent. Spikes 1-7 by in.; lower flowers opposite, distant the length of the 

 calyx; bracts in., narrowly or not scarious- margined, tip minutely scabrous; 

 bracteoles -^-^ in., lanceolate. Sepals ^ in., resembling the bracts. Corolla % in. 

 Capsule l- in., glabrous. Seeds very nearly smooth, concentric rugosities remaining 

 as obscure tubercles. 



VAB. prostrata, Roxb. ms. ; leaves smaller often obtuse or orbicular, bracts and 

 sepals shorter broader rather more scabrous, capsule hairy. Deccan Peninsula and 

 Ceylon, common. Stems prostrate, intricately branched, patently hairy. Leaves 

 i-i in. diam. Spikes 1-2 by ^ in. 



VAR. Vahlii ; leaves narrowly lanceolate or linear, bracts lanceolate white- 

 margined, sepals lanceolate subacute tips minutely scabrous. J. Vahlii, Roth Nov. 

 Sp. 14. J. quinqueangularis, Wall. Cat. 2443, type sheet and mainly. J. Vahliaua, 

 Eoem. Sf Sch. Syst. Mant. i. 138. Rostellularia Vahlii, Nees in Wall. PI. As. Ear. 

 iii. 102, and in DC. Prodr. xi. 376, partly. Deccan Peninsula and Ceylon, extending 

 to Chota Nagpore, common. It is vain to quote extensively synonymy for this plant, 

 as the same specimen has been named differently by the highest authorities. The 

 narrow-leaved forms have been, both by Nees and T. Anderson, mixed with J. 

 quinqueangularis, which differs in the large capsule and seeds, and in the glabrous 

 obtuse sepal-tips. In the linear-leaved forms the spikes, bracts and sepals are often 

 as in J. diffusa var. prostrata. Connected by imperceptible gradations with 

 J. diffusa, type. 



VAE. hedyotidifolia; woody, leaves petioled ovate, spikes shortened dense, sepal- 

 tips lengthened sometimes very ciliate. J. hedyotidifolia, Wall. Cat. 2450. Rostel- 

 lularia hedyotidifolia, Nees in Wall. PL As. Ear. iii. 100, and in DC. Prodr. xi.370; 

 Wight Ic. t. 1540. Mts. of S. India. The extreme forms in Wight's herbarium are 

 very woody and glabrous, with small black leaves ; but there are herbaceous examples 

 with larger more hairy leaves, even from the Nilgherries at 8000 ft. alt., which have 

 been marked J. hedyotidifolia by Mr. Bentham, and which cannot be distinguished 

 from J. diffusa, type. 



VAE. orbiculata; leaves petioled ovate hairy specially beneath. J. orbiculata, 

 Wall Cat. 2489; T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 512, partly. Rostellularia 

 rotundifolia, Nees in Wall. PL As. Ear. iii. 100, and in DC. Prodr. xi. 370. Deccan 

 Peninsula, northwards to Parasnath, T. Anderson. Distrib. Siam. The examples 

 are marked by Nees (doubtless on account of the pubescent or patently hairy stem) 

 " Rostellularia procumbens,Var. and 7," but the same thing is marked by T. Anderson 

 " hedyotidifolia,'" which is the true affinity. Most of the examples marked orbiculata 

 by Nees and T< Anderson are J. simplex, D. Don. 



