26 CHENOPODIACEM. [SALSOLA. 



hypogynous. Fruit an ovoid or orbicular fleshy or membranous 

 utricle ; stigmas 2 or 3, subulate or linear. Seed usually horizontal, 

 testa membranous, albumen none, embryo spiral. Species about 

 40, in Temp. Asia, Australia and N. America. 



S. fcetida, Del. Fl. ^gypt. Ill (1812) n. 310 ; F. B. I. v, 18 ; Watt 

 E. D. ; Comm. Prod. Ind. 114 ; Gamb. Man. 552 ; Brand. Ind. 

 Trees 519 ; Cooke Fl. Bomb, ii, 507. S. indica, Herb. Royle.Vem. 

 Ldna, sJiora, gora-ldna. 



A large much-branched hoary shrub up to 4 ft. or more in height. Stem 

 stout ; branches densely crowded, slender. Leaves minute, sub- 

 globose, fleshy ; the floral ones imbricate and forming very short 

 cylindric spikes ; bracteoles fleshy, -^ in. long, broadly ovate or 

 orbicular. Perianth silvery- white, not exceeding the bracteoles, 

 oblong, obtuse ; wings symmetrical, rounded, membranous and 

 transparent, margins often overlapping. Stigmas 2, large, re- 

 curved. 



Found in the districts of Delhi and Agra (Royle, Munro, etc.). Flowers 

 in the cold season. DISTRIB.: Plains of Punjab and Sind ; also in 

 Baluchistan, Afghanistan, and westwards to Persia, Arabia and N. 

 Africa. This plant is much used in the preparation of barilla (car- 

 bonate of soda). The branchlets often bear globose villous galls J-f 

 in. in diam. ; these latter are covered by linear leaves somewhat re- 

 sembling the involucre of a composite. The plant is described as 

 having a strong odour of rotten fish. It is eaten greedily by camels. 



5. BASELLA, Linn. ; Fl. Brit. Ind. v, 20. 



Much-branched twining fleshy herbs. Leaves alternate, broad, 

 entire. Flowers in spikes, 2-sexual, white, red or violet ; bracts 

 minute, caducous ; bracteoles 2, united into a 2-lipped cup and 

 adnate to the perianth. Perianth fleshy, 5-ficl. ; at length berry- 

 like ; lobes short, incurved. /Stamens 5, on the mouth of the 

 perianth-tube ; filaments short, erect in bud ; anthers versatile, 

 globose. Styles 3, stigmas 2, linear-clavate, papillose on the inner 

 side? ovule subsessile. Fruit a globose utricle, included within 

 the fleshy perianth ; pericarp thin, adnate to the seed. Seed 

 erect, sub-globose, testa crustaceous, albumen scanty, embrya 

 piano -spiral ; cotyledons large, thin, involute. Species' 2, in Asia 

 and Trop. Africa, elsewhere cultivated in the tropics. 



