16 AMARANTACEM. 



stigma. FEM. flowers : Perianth T l n in, long. Sepals subacute, api- 

 culate. Stigmas 2, equalling the style. Utricle broadly ovoid. 

 Seeds dark-br^wn and shining. 



Abundant in the dry western and south-western portions of the area,, 

 also in the Sub-Himalayan tracts of Rohilkhand and N. Oudh. 

 DISTRIB.: Punjab, Rajputana, Sind, Central India and southwards 

 through the W. Peninsula to Ceylon, also in Burma and Baluchistan, 

 extending to Arabia, Vrop. Africa and the Cape de Verde Islands. 

 Edgeworth insists that his M. Bovii is a distinct species. It has much 

 narrower leaves and is sweet-scented, whilst M. javanica, which grows 

 with it, is not. Bossier regarded it as a variety. I have seen no 

 specimens from the area of this flora. 



2. JG. scandens, Wall. Cat. 6911 ; Royle III. 320 ; F. B. I. iv r 

 727 ; Watt. E. D. ; Collett FL Siml. 414 ; Prain Beng. PL 874 ; 

 Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 492. Achyranthes scandens, Eoxb. FL Ind* 

 i, 676. 



A climbing undershrub with long hoary tomentose branches. Leaves 

 alternate and opposite, 1J-4 in. long, elliptic-lanceolate or ovate^ 

 obtuse or acute and mucronate, glabrous or softly hairy, base taper- 

 ing into a short petiole. Flowers silvery -white, 2-sexual, arranged in 

 ovoid or cylindric axillary and terminal subsessile white-woolly 

 spikes J-l in. long, the spikes often in pairs and forming a lax terminal 

 panicle ; bracteoles shorter than the sepals, ovate, acuminate, 

 Perianth -$ in. long. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate. Utricle broadly 

 ovate, acute. Seeds lenticular, black and shining. 



Common in most parts of the area in waste ground, and often found 

 climbing amongst bushes . DISTRIB.: Plains of Upper India from 

 the Punjab to Bengal and Assam ; outer Himalayan ranges from 

 Kumaon to Bhutan up to 5,000 ft., also in C. and W. India and ex- 

 tending to China, Malay Islands, Philippines and Trop. Africa. 



3. JE. lanata, Juss. in Mus. Par. ii, 131 ; F. B. I. iv, 728 ; 

 Watt E. D. ; Prain Beng. PL 874 ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 493. 

 Achyranthes lanata, Linn. ; Eoxb. FL Ind. i, 676. 



An erect or prostrate undershrub. Branches many from a stout woody, 

 rootstock, terete and striate, pubescent or woolly. Leaves petioled,. 

 alternate, J-l in. long, those of the branches smaller, elliptic-obovate 

 or suborbicular, obtuse or acute, entire, pubescent above and usually 

 white-woolly beneath. Flowers minute, greenish- white, sessile, 1-or 

 2-sexual, arranged in small dense axillary heads or spikes which are 



