732 cxvi. AMARANTACE^E. (J. D. Hooker.) [Alternanthera. 



obcordate, rarely exceeding the sepals, wings often corky. Wallich's A. sessilis & 

 denticulata are all sessilis except Sheet 6921 F, of which all hut the left-hand speci- 

 mens are as nodiflora. 



2. A nodiflora, Br. Prodr. 417 ; branches prostrate or ascending, 

 leaves linear linear-oblong or lanceolate obtuse or subacute, sepals glabrous 

 hyaline finely acuminate, anthers 3, utricle much shorter than the sepals 

 obcordate. Moq. in DC. Prodr. xiii. 2, 356; Benth. Fl. Austral, v. 249. 

 A. denticulata, Br. I. c. 



SILHET, Wallich. TENASSERIM, at Mergui, Griffith. DISTEIB. Tropical Asia, 

 Australia, Polynesia and Africa, Japan. 



Often very difficult to distinguish from A. sessilis, heads often in great clusters 

 (not seen in Indian specimen), sepals thinner, much more pointed, and utricle smaller 

 and not so broad. This would seem to be the most abundant African and Australian 

 plant, though scarce in India proper. Bentharn's A. denticulata (PI. Austral, v. 249) 

 is, I think, A. sessilis ; he mentions the difficulty of distinguishing it from nodiflora. 

 but says nothing about sessilis. Boissier (Fl. Orient, iv. 996) considers nodiflora. 

 and denticulata to be one and the same, and different from sessilis. 



17. GOIVEPHRENA, Linn. 



Herbs, hirsute or villous, with usually thickened nodes. Leaves opposite. 

 Flowers capitate or spicate, white or coloured. Sepals 5, lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate. Stamens 5, filaments linear united below into a long tube cleft at 

 the top, with a one-celled anther in each cleft, usually without interposed 

 staminodes. Ovary subglobose or turbinate ; style short or long, stigmas 

 2 ; ovule 1, pendulous from a long basal funicle. Utricle compressed, in- 

 dehiscent. Seed inverse, lenticular, testa coriaceous ; embryo annular. 

 Species 70, S. American and Australian, of which one is also Asiatic. 



GompTirena hispida, Linn. Sp. PL Ed. 2, i. 326 (Moq. in DC. Prodr. xiii. 1, 411), 

 is founded on a plate in Hortus Malabaricus (ix. t. 72) which is quite unworthy of 

 notice. It represents a plant with the habit of G. glolosa, but with serrated leaves. 

 G. angustifolia, Vahl Symb. iii. 45 (Moq. 1. c. 417), stated to be a native of the 

 East Indies (Koenig] and Guinea (Schumacher), is probably some garden escape of which 

 nothing is known. 



G-. globosa, Linn. Sp. PI. 224 ; erect, branched, hairy or subsilky, 

 leaves shortly petioled elliptic or obovate-oblong acute or obtuse, heads 

 large globose with 2 leafy bracts, bracteoles pinkish purple, lateral with a 

 cristate dorsal wing, sepals densely woolly. Moq. in DC. Prodr. xiii. 2, 

 409; Eoxb. Fl. 2nd. ii. 63; Orah. Cat. Bomb. PL 169; Dalz. $ Gibs. 

 Bomb. FL, Suppl. 72; Wight Ic. 1784; Bot. Mag. t. 2815. Rheede Sort. 

 , t.37. 



An escape from gardens in various parts of INDIA ; cultivated in all countries 

 probably originating in America. 



A tall dichotomously branched annual, branches stout obscurely 4-angled. Leaves 

 2-4 in., scaberulous, pale green ; petiole 0-1 in. Heads 1-1 in. diam., peduncled, 

 terminating the branches ; bracts under the head |-1 in. ; flowers densely imbricate ; 

 branches ^-f in., scarious, lanceolate, much longer than the perianth. Sepals lanceo- 

 late, densely woolly, shorter than the staminal tube. 



