110 CONVOLVULACE^. [MEBEEMIA. 



Bundelkhand (Edgeworth). Flowers Sep. and Oct. DISTRIB. Bengal 

 Bombay and southwards to Ceylon, also in Upper Burma and Trop. 

 Africa. Boxburgh remarks that tne flowers open late in the forenoon 

 and close early in the evening. The juice of this plant is used medi- 

 cinally and the plant is sometimes eaten as a pot-herb. 



M. dissecta, Hallier f. ; Coolte Fl. Bomb, ii, 241. Ipomsa sinuata, 

 Ortega ; F. B.L iv, 214. This, is a native of Trop. America and of the 

 West Indies, is becoming naturalized in India, and occurs within the 

 area of this flora as a garden escape. Stems twining, usually hirsute. 

 Leaves palmately 7-partite, the lobes toothed or sub-pinnatifid. 

 Corolla white or pinkish with the throat purple, the bands distinctly 

 lineate. 



M. pentaphylla, Hallier f. ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 239. Ipomaea penta- 

 phylla, J Jacq. ; F. B. I. iv,202. Batatas pentaphylla, Chois.; Royle 

 III. 207. A twining annual with digitate leaves and large white or 

 yellowish flowers. Found in Western and Northern India, also in Africa 

 and Trop. America ; often cultivated. 



10. OPERCULINA, Manso. 

 UNDER IPOM/EA. IN FL. BEIT. IND. 



Large climbing herbs, stems petioles and peduncles winged. 

 Leaves large, entire or lobed, rarely peltate. Flowers large, axillary, 

 solitary or in few-flowered cymes. Sepals large, glabrous, enlarging 

 and thickening in fruit, at length splitting irregularly from the 

 lip. Corolla funnel-shaped, rarely campanulate, tube with 5 vertical 

 smooth bands. Stamens with filiform filaments ; anthers large, 

 atlength contorted, pollen not spinulose. Ovary 2-celled, 4-ovuled, 

 gla brous, style filiform, stigmas 2, globose. Fruit a capsule, the 

 epi carp, splitting transversely above the middle, tbe cap carrying 

 away the style, endocarp at length bursting irregularly. Seeds 

 large, usually solitary, black, smooth. Species about 10, mostly 

 in tropical countries. 



O. Turpethum, Manso ; Prain Beng. PI. 731 ; Cooke\Fl. Bomb. ii t 240. 

 Convolvulus Turpethum, Linn. ; Roxb. ; Fl. Ind. i, 476. Ipomaea Turpe- 

 thum, R. Br.; Royle III. 308 ;F. B. I. iv, 212 ; Watt E. D. Merremia 

 Turpethum, Rendle in Fl. Trop. Afr. iv t Sect. 2, 102. (Indian Jalap.) 



A stout softly pubescent twining' perennial herb. Stems with milky 

 juice, very long, more or less compressed, angled and winged. Leaves 

 2-5 in. long, ovate or oblcng, subacute, mucronate, base cordate or 

 truncate, pubescent on both surfaces especially when young ; petioles 

 |-2 in., pubescent. Cymes few-flowered ; peduncles 1-2 in. long, stout ; 

 bracts up to 1 in. long, oblong or lanceolate, pubescent, caducous, often 



