62 cxx. PODOSTEMONACE.E. (J. D. Hooker.) 



minute, testa mucilaginous, albumen ; embryo straight, cotyledons 2, 

 radicle inferior. Genera 21 ; species about 120, chiefly tropical. 



An Order of very doubtful affinity,' some genera of which I am disposed to regard 

 as perhaps consisting of reduced forms of Scrophularinea or Lentibularinea. Tli3 

 species are probably very numerous in India, though unknown in rivers having snow- 

 feeders. I have followed Weddel's most careful monograph in describing the Indian 

 species, reducing the genera in accordance with Bentham's revision of these in the 

 Genera Plantarum. I suspect that an examination of more copious materials will modify 

 the characters of the species, and perhaps bring some of them together as varieties or 

 forms of dimorphic or polymorphic plants. 



Tribe I. Tristicheae. Floicers 2-sexual. Stamens 1-3. Ovary 3- 

 celled. Styles 3. 



Stamens 3 ' 1. TEKNIOLA. 



Tribe II. Eupodostemeee. Perianth of 2 rarely 3 scales. Stamens 

 1, or 2-3 with the filaments connate. 



Stigmas subsessile, broad, flat, crested. Stamens 2 .... 2. HTDEOBEYUM. 

 Stigmas short, linear or ovate, entire. Stamens 2 3. PODOSTEMON. 



1. TERNIOLA, Talasne. 



Stems confluent into an expanded horizontal lobed frond, or in one 

 species long and floating. Leaves minute, setaceous. Flower ing -buds 

 adnate to the base of the stem, or scattered along the elongated branches ; 

 pedicel solitary, with a ring of scale-like leaves usually forming a short 

 sheath round its base. Flowers 2-sexual. Perianth hyaline, 3-lobed. 

 Stamens 3, filaments free. Ovary 3-celled; styles 3, spreading, inner, 

 linear ; placentas thick, in the inner angles of the cells. Capsule ovoid, 

 septicidally 3-valved, valves equal, septa vanishing. Species 7, all Indian. 



* Stems frond-like horizontal. 



1. T. zeylanica, Tul. Monogr. Podost. 190, t. 13, f. 3 ; plant flat 

 suborbicular or irregularly lobed, leaves some very narrow in rosettes, others 

 connate into a short broad tubular or cup-shaped echinate sheath with a 

 ciliate mouth. Wedd. in DC. Prodr. xvii. 46. T. ceylanica, Wight Ic. 

 t. 1919. Tristicha zeylanica, Gardn. in Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. vii. 177. 

 Lawia zeylanica, Tul. in Ann. So. Nat. Ser. 3, xi. 112. Dalzellia zeylanica, 

 Wight I. c. 34. Mnianthus zeylanicus, Wai p. Ann. iii. 443. 



CETLON ; on smooth gneiss rocks in streams at Peradenyia. 



Plant frond-like, attached to stones, about 1 in. diam. Leaves simple, sometimes 

 forked or lacerate, T ' 5 in. long, mixed with papillae. Sheath bristling with rigid teeth 

 (tips of connate leaves). Pedicel equalling the flower, at length elongate and ^ in. 

 long. Perianth oblong. Stamens included. Capsule ellipsoid, subsessile, 9-ribbed, 

 crowned with 3 recurved stigmas. 



2. T. pulchella, Tul Monogr. Podost. 192, t. 13, f. 4; plant minute 

 narrow flat lobed, leaves distichous short linear acute, sheath cylindric of 

 slender connate leaves mouth ciliate. Wedd. in D.C. Prodr. xvii. 46. 

 Lawia pulchella, Tul. in Ann. Sc. Nat. Ser. 3, xi. 113. Mnianthus pul- 

 chellus, Walp. Ann. iii. 443. 



The CONCAN ; near Bombay. 



Plant frond-like, -^ in. diam.; lobes very short, terminated by buds. Leaves \- in. 



