102 FLORA OF MADRAS. 



Anoda Jiastata, Linn., is a blue-flowered herbaceous hispid in- 

 troduced weed which has been found about Madras. 



MalacJira capitata, Linn., is a herbaceous weed occasionally 

 found along the Carnatic coast. It is not indigenous and is 

 recognized by the flowers in dense capitate heads. 



Various races of Gossypium arbor eum, barbadense, herbaceum, 

 hirsutum, Nanking, obtusifolium, purpurascens constitute the 

 cultivated cottons of the Presidency. For their identification and 

 an account of them, reference should be made to Sir George 

 Watt's " Commercial Products of India." 



Adansonia digitata, Linn., the Baobab tree of Africa is found 

 here and there in cultivation. 



Family XXYII. STERCULIACEAE. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees, the herbaceous parts usually clothed 

 with stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, simple or digitate, entire 

 toothed or lobed, usually stipulate. Flowers usually in axillary 

 cymes, regular, 1- or 2-sexual. Sepals valvate, more or less 

 combined below. Petals 5, hypogynous, free or connate at the 

 base or 0. Stamens 5 -many ; filaments united into a tube or 

 rarely free ; anthers 1-5 together, on or between the teeth of or 

 irregularly arranged in one or more whorls on the outside of the 

 tube ; cells 2, parallel or diverging, very rarely confluent ; stami- 

 nodes 5 or 10, co-ordinate with the stamens or 0. Ovary free, 

 4-5- (rarely 10-12-) celled or reduced to a single carpel ; ovules 

 2-many (rarely 1) in each cell, attached to the inner angle ; styles 

 as many as the cells of the ovary, distinct or connate. Fruit 

 often a 5-valved loculicidal capsule, woody, chartaceous or mem- 

 branous, sometimes of 1-6 spreading or spirally twisted follicles, 

 rarely dividing into cocci or baccate. Seeds sometimes arillate, 

 occasionally winged ; albumen fleshy, thin or ; embryo straight 

 or curved ; cotyledons usually foliaceous. 



Flowers unisexual ; petals wanting : 

 Leaves clothed beneath with peltate scales ; fruit indehiscent 



1. Heritiera. 



Leaves without peltate scales ; fruit follicular : 

 Follicles woody or coriaceous : 



Seeds winged ; follicles globose, large, woody ; leaves cordate ovate, 

 7-nerved at the base 2. Pterygota, 



