274: COMMELINACEM. [ COMMELINA. 



long, cylindric, truncate at one end, subacute or rounded at the 

 other, without an appendage. 



From Delhi to N. Oudh, apparently not common. DISTRIB. : Kumaon, 

 Bengal, Assam ; and from Mt. Abu south to Konkan and Poona. 



4. C. benghalensis, Linn. Sp. PL 41 ; Clarke in DC. Hon. 

 Hi, 159 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind. 1,171 ; F. B. I. vi, 370 ; Watt E. D.; 

 Collett FL SimL 532 ; Prain Beng. PL 1082 ; Cooke FL Bomb, ii, 

 782. 



Stems 2-3 ft. long, slender, dichotomously branched from the base ; 

 branches diffuse, glabrous or pubescent, creeping and rooting below. 

 Leaves 1-3 in. long, ovate or oblong, obtuse, sessile or shortly stalked, 

 pubescent or villous on both surfaces ; base unequal-sided, rounded 

 cuneate or cordate ; nerves 7-11 pairs ; sheaths hairy ; margins ciliate 

 with rufous hairs. Spathes 1-3 together, funnel-shaped or turbinate, 

 auricled on one side. Sepals small, oblong, hairy. Petals blue, the 

 larger one orbicular or transversely oblong. Ovary 3-celled, two of 

 the cells 2-ovuled, the third cell 1-ovuled. Capsule J in. long, 

 pyriform, membranous, 5 -seeded. Seeds closely pitted. 



Moradabad (T. Thomson), Pilibhit (Duthie) ; Bundelkhand (Edgeworth). 

 DISTRIB. : Throughout India, and up to 6,000 ft. on the Himalaya, 

 extending to China and Trop. Africa. In this species ripe seeds 

 are sometimes matured underground from abnormal flowers borne on 

 leafless branches coming from the lower nodes of the stems. These 

 flowers are white and smaller than the blue serial ones, which often 

 fail to produce fertile seeds. 



5. C. attexmata, Koen. ex VaM. Enum. n, 168 ; Clarke, in 

 DC. Man. Hi, 172 ; F. B. I. vi, 372 ; Prain. Beng. PL 1083 ; Cooke 

 FL Bomb, ii, 784. 



Stem 1-3 ft. long, slender, much branched, glabrous or sparsely hairy. 

 Leaves 1J-3 in. long, linear or linear-lanceolate, acute or subobtuse ; 

 sheaths ciliate, often hardly distinct from the leaf-blade, spathes 

 l-lj in., narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acute or caudate-acuminate, 

 glabrous ; base deeply sagittately cordate and with large auricles. 

 Peduncles f-lj in., glabrous or pubescent. Flowers small, blue. 

 Capsule J in. long, 1 -celled, with 2 superposed seeds truncate and 

 appendaged at both ends, or with one subglobose seed. 



Bundelkhand (Mrs. Bell) and probably in other localities within the 

 area. DISTRIB.,: Chota Nagpur, Behar, Central India and South to 

 Ceylon. 



6. C. obllqna, Buck- Ham. in Don. Prod. 45 (not of Vakl), Clarke 

 in DC. Mon, Hi, 178 ; F. B. /., w, 372 ; Watt E. D.; Collett FL 



