CANSCOBA.J GENTIANACE&. 77 



or elliptic and often petioled ; upper sessile, broadly ovate, acute or apicu- 

 late, rounded at the base, uppermost leaves much smaller. Flowers pink, 

 in lax diffuse panicles, pedicels filiform, the ultimate bracts very minute. 

 Calyx 4 in. long, not winged ; teeth lanceolate, acute. Corolla in. long ; 

 tube $ in., green; lobes unequal, obtuse. Stamens A, one of which is 

 fertile and larger than the others and inserted higher up. Capsule 

 narrowly oblong, nearly as long as the calyx, membranous. 



Abundant within the area in wet places, especially in Merwara, Bundel- 

 khand, Dehra Dun, Rohilkhand and N. Oudh. Flowers during the rainy 

 season. DIBTEIB. Throughoub India up to 2,010 ft. in Kumaon, also in 

 Ceylon and Burma, extending to Malaya, E. Trop*. Africa, Australia and 

 the Philippines. The plant is used medicinally as a substitute for 

 0. decussata. 

 2. C. decussata, Ecem. $ Sch. Syst. Hi, Mant. 229 ; F. B. I. iv, 104 : 



Collet t Fl. Siml. 823 ; Prain Beng. PI. 708. Pladera decussata, Roxb.Fl 



2nd. i, 402. 



An erect branching annual, up to 2 ft. in height. Stems 4-winged, branches 

 decussate. Leaves 1-1 i n - long, oblong, lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved. 

 Cy mes lax, the branches erect, rigid, 4-winged. Flowers white, those in 

 the forks long-pedicelled. Calyx - in. long, 4-winged. Gorolla-tule 

 as long as calyx ; lobes | in. long, obovate. Stamens as in preceding. 

 Capsule and seeds rather larger. 



Bundelkhand, Siwalik Barge, Dehra Dun and N. Oudh. Flowers August 

 and September. DISTBIB Himalaya ascending to 0,000 ft., and through- 

 out India extending to Ceylon, Bui ma and Trop. Africa. The plant is 

 much valued as a tonic in nervous complain. 



7. SWERTIA, Linn. Fl. Brit. Ind. iv, 121. 



Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves usually opposite. Flowers in 

 terminal corymbose or panicled cymes, blue, luried or white, sometimes 

 with yellow glands. Calyx 4-5 partite, tube none or very short ; lobes 

 4-5, acute or obtuse. Corolla subrotate, tube very short ; lobes 4-5, 

 acute or obtuse, each, with one or a pair of glandular nectaries at the 

 base. Stamens 4-5, attached near the base of the corolla, free; fila- 

 ments linear, often more or less dilated downwards ; anthers oblong, 

 versatile. Ovary 1 -celled, placentas slightly intruded ; style short or 

 none, stigma 2-lobed, ovules many. Capsule ovate or oblong, 2-val- 

 ved. Seeds usually many, minute, compressed, often winged, reticu- 

 late. Species about 90, chiefly Asiatic, a few in Europe, S. Africa, 

 Madagascar and America. 

 8 . angustifolia, Buch.-Ham. * ex. D. Don Prod. Fl. Nep. 127 ; Clarke in 



* For a more detailed account of this species and its allies see Mr. J. 

 H. Burkill's recently published paper in Journ. As. Soc., Beng. (New 

 Series), Vol. II, No 8. 



