68 FLOP A OF MADRAS. [Tamarix. 



3. TAMARIX ERICOIDES, Rottl. ; F. B. I. i. 249. Trichaurus 

 ericoides, W. & A. 40 ; Wt. 111. i. t. 24B ; Wt. Ic. t. 22. 



Beds of rivers in the Circars, Deccan and Carnatic, usually 

 inland and often in forest regions. 



A beautiful shrub, not gregarious, often associated with other 

 river-bed shrubs like Rhabdia and Homonoya riparia. 



Family XX. ELATINACEAE. 



Small aquatic or terrestrial herbs or small shrubs. Leaves 

 opposite or whorled, stipulate. Flowers small, axillary, regular, 

 hermaphrodite. Sepals and petals 2-5, free, imbricate. Stamens 

 as many as the petals or twice as many. Ovary 2-5-celled; 

 styles 2-5. Ovules numerous, axile. Capsule septicidal ; valves 

 separating from the axis and septa. Seeds straight or curved, 

 often rugose ; albumen or scanty ; embryo cylindric ; cotyledons 

 small. 



Leaves entire ; sepals 3 ; small aquatic herbs with solitary axillary 

 flowers 1. Elatine. 



Leaves serrate or crenate ; sepals 5 ; stout erect terrestrial plants, with 

 solitary or more or less densely clustered flowers 2. Bergia. 



1. Elatine, Linn. 



Small aquatic creeping herbs. Leaves opposite or whorled. 

 Flowers minute, usually one at each node. Sepals 2-4, mem- 

 branous, obtuse. Petals 2-4. Ovary globose. Capsule mem- 

 branous ; valves separating from the septa. Seeds curved, ridged 

 and pitted. 



Flowers subsessile ; stamens exceeding the sepals 1. americana. 



Flowers shorter than their pedicels ; stamens shorter than the sepals 



2. ambigua. 



1. ELATINE AMERICANA, Am. ; F. B. I. i. 250. 



Prostrate in patches on mud, Nilgiris. 



2. ELATINE AMBIGUA, Wight ; W. & A. 41 ; Wt. 111. i. t. 25B ; 

 F. B. I. i. 251. 



Prostrate in patches on mud, Madras. 



2. Bergia, Linn. 



Terrestrial or aquatic herbs, annuals or undershrubs. Leaves 

 opposite, usually serrate. Flowers axillary, solitary or fascicled, 



