DIDYMOCARPCS. ] G ESXERIACEJS. 167 



8,000ft., also in Assam and on the hills of Peninsular India ; extending to 

 Ceylon, Malaya, S. China and Trop. Africa. It is a very small terrestrial 

 species with violet-coloured flowers, and is found usually on wet rocks. 

 It may at once be distinguished by its orbicular or reniform persistent 

 leaves, its very unequal calyx-segments and the glochidiate seeds. 



LXXXII.-GESNERIACEJE. 



Herbs or undershrubs, often epiphytic. Leaves opposite alternate 

 or solitary, undivided, entire or toothed ; stipules noue. Flowers 

 hermaphrodite, nearly always irregular, peduncles axillary, bracteate ; 

 bracteoles usually small. Calyx-lobes 5, valvate or open in bud. 

 rarely imbricate. Corolla-tube long or short ; lobes usually 5 and 

 imbricate in bud. Stamens attached to the corolla-tube, usually 

 didynainous, sometime* 5, all or only 2 fertile, anfchers 2-or 1-celled, 

 Disk annular or shoitly cylindric or none, sometimes unilateral. 

 Ovary 1-or imperfectly 2-celled, style linear, stigma capitate or 

 2 lobed ; ovules many, anatropous, on bifid parietal sometimes 

 subconfluent placentas. Fruit a 2-valved capsule or a berry. Seeds 

 many, minute, fusiform or ovoid, smooth, sometimes tipped with a 

 long hair, albumen scanty or none, embryo straight. Species about 

 700, mostly in S. E. Asia, Polynesia and in Trop. America. The 

 Indian representatives of this family all belong to the suborder 

 Cyrtandrea, recognized by having the ovary free and superior. The 

 Euge*ner*<g, which are confined to the New World, are characterized 

 by a more or less inferior ovary. 



Capsule linear, exceeding the calyx . . 1. DIDYMOCARPUS. 

 Capsule ellipsoid, included in the calyx . . 2. RHYNCHOGLOSSUM. 



1. DIDYMOCARPUS, Wall. ; PI. Brit. Ind. iv, 345. 



Stemless or erect herbs. Leaves opposite, alternate or crowded, 

 rarely solitary. Peduneles axillary, bearing few or many flowers ; 

 pedicels cymose, subumbellate or subracemose n pairs ; bracts usually 

 inconspicuous. Calyx small, 5-fid- or partite, lobes narrow. Corolla 

 with a cylindric or ovoid tube, limb oblique or subsymtnetric ; lobes 

 5, rounded. Stamens included, the 2 anterior perfect with 2-3 sta- 

 le inodes, rarely 4 perfect ; anthers cohering in pairs ; cells 2, ovate, 

 oon confluent. Disk cylindric or none. Ovary narrow, 1-celled, 

 sessile or stipuate ; stigma peltate, emarginate or unilateral ; placentas 



