20 AMAEANTAQEM. [ PUP ALIA. 



equal glabrous hooked awns, enlarging, stellately spreading, 

 yellowish during the fruiting time and supported during the flowering 

 period by a lanceolate acute 3-nerved aristate braeteole. Utricle 

 thinly membranous, oblong and abruptly narrowed to the apex. 

 Seed T l g in. long, ellipsoid, compressed, black and shining. 

 Dehra Dun, Siwalik range and in the Siub -Himalayan tracts eastwards ; 

 also in Bundelkhand and Merwara. Flowers towards the end of the 

 rainy season. DISTRIB.: Behar, Punjab Plain and up to 3,000 ft. on 

 the W. Himalaya ; also in Rajputana, Sind and Deccan Peninsula, 

 extending to S. E. Asia, Trop. Africa and Madagascar. 



9. ALTEBNANTHERA, Forsk. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. iv, 731. 



Herbs, usually prostrate. Leaves opposite. Flowers 2 -sexual, 

 small, white, in axillary often clustered heads. Perianth- segments 

 5, sepaline, unequal ; anterior and 2 posterior flattened ; the 2 

 lateral ones innermost, concave. Stamens 2-5 ; filaments short,, 

 connate in a short cup, with or without interposed staminodes ; 

 anthers 1 -celled. Ovary suborbicular or ovoid, style very short,, 

 stigma capitellate, rarely 2-fid. ; ovule solitary, pendulous from a 

 long basal funicle. Fruit a compressed orbicular or obcordate 

 utricle, often with thickened or winged margins. Seed inverse,, 

 lenticular, testa crustaceous ; embryo annular, surrounding the 

 floury albumen, cotyledons narrow, radicle superior. Species 

 about 16, in tropical and sub-tropical regions, abundant in 

 Australia and America. 



A. sessilis, E. Br. Prod. 417 ; Eoyle III 320 ; F. B. I. iv, 731 

 Watt E. D. ; Collett FL Siml. 415 ; Prain Beng. PL 875. A. triandra. 

 Lamk. ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 499. A. prostrata, Don. Prodr. 86, 

 Achyranthes triandra, Roxb. Fl. 2nd* i,. 678. Vern. Ghardughi 

 (Rohilkhand). 



A prostrate herb ; branches many, often rooting from the lower nodes r 

 glabrous or the younger ones with 2 opposite lines of hairs. Leaves 

 shortly stalked, glabrous and rather fleshy, J-2 in. or more long, 

 linear-oblong lanceolate or elliptic, obtuse or subacute, sometimes 

 subdenticulate. Flowers sessile, white and shining, arranged in small 

 axillary sessile heads ; bracteoles ovate, searious. Perianth ^-J uu 

 long. Sepals ovate y acute, 1 -nerved, searious. Ovary broader thaw 

 long, compressed. Utricle broadly obcordate,- margins thickened. 

 Seed 



