ASTERACANTHA, ] ACANTHACE&. 185- 



Stems erect, 2-5 ft. high, more or less hispid with long hairs especially at 

 the base of each node. Leaves subsessile, the 2 outer of each whorl up 

 to 7 in. long, oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, sparsely hispid on both 

 sides with long white hairs, each of the 6 leaves with a long sharp nearly 

 straight yellow spine in its axil. Flowers in a whorl of 8 (four pairs) at 

 each node ; bracts about 1 in. long, lanceolate, ciliate ; bracteoles smaller,, 

 linear-lanceolate. Calyx-segments f-f in. long, linear-lanceolate, hairy 

 outside and with hyaline ciliate margins, the upper broader and rather 

 longer than the other three. Corolla 1-1$ in. long, pale bluish-purple 

 or white ; tube f in. long, abruptly dilated above, lips subequal. 

 Capsule % in. long, linear-oblong, pointed. 



Common over the greater portion of the area, in ditches and swampy 

 ground. DISTRIB. Throughout India and in Ceylon, also at Singapore 1 

 and extending to Trop. and S. Africa. The whole plant, including the- 

 root and seeds, is valued by natives for certain medicinal properties. 



7. HYGROPHILA, B. Br. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. iv, 406. 



Herbs, usually found in wet places. Leaves opposite, lanceolate or 

 obovate, entire. Flowers bluish -pur pie, sessile, in terminal heads or 

 axillary whorls ; bracts elliptic or lanceolate ; bracteoles linear or 

 lanceolate, shorter than the calyx. Calyx tubular, 5-fid., rarely 4- 

 partite, lobes linear or lanceolate. Corolla 2-lipped, nearly glabrous, 

 tube dilated above, lobes twisted to the left in bud. Stamens didyn- 

 araous, the posterior pair sometimes smaller or rudimentary, fila- 

 ments glabrous, anthers oblong ; cells equal, diverging or connate at 

 the base. Ovary oblong, tip hairy; style slender, hairy; stigma 

 simple, linear ; ovules few or many in each cell. Fruit a linear or 

 narrowly oblong capsule, bearing the seeds from near the base. 

 Seeds usually, many, ovoid, compressed, hygroscopically hairy ; 

 retinae ula hard, curved, acute. Species about 30, in tropical and 

 subtropical regions of both hemispheres. 



Flowers in terminal spikes. Procumbent herbs": 

 Fertile stamens 2, upper pair reduced to teeth, 



leaves usually glabrous, seeds 20 or more . 1, H. polysperma. 

 Fertile stamens 4, leaves hairy, seeds 8-10 . 2. H. Serpyllum. 

 Flowers in axillary whorls, stamens 4, seeds 



20 or more. An erect herb . . . 3. H. angustifolia. 



1. H. polysperma, T. Anders, in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix, 456 ; F. B. I, iv r 



408 ; Collett FL SM. 371 ; Prain Beng. PL 801 ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 35,3* 

 Justicia polysperma, Eoxb.; FL Ind. i, 119. 



