Crassulacece. 143 



XLVL— SAXIFRAGACE^E. 



HERBACEOUS, 1. opp., without stip., fl. small, regular ; cal.- 



tube completely adnate to ov., segm. 5; pet. 5; stam. 5, 



epigynous; ov. completely inferior, 1 -celled, with 2 pendulous 



placentas, ovules numerous, styles 2, distinct ; fruit a capsule, 



dehiscing septicidally from apex; seeds numerous, very small, 



with endosperm. 



A single annual herb very badly represents this large Order. There is 

 no species of Saxifraga in our hills or in the Nilgiris, but 35 are given in 

 Fl. B. Ind. for the Himalaya range. 



V AH LI A. Thunb. 

 For characters, see Order. — Sp. 33 ; 2 in Fl. B. Ind. 



V. oldenlandioides, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 89 (1832). 

 Thw. Enum. 130, 418. C. P. 1686, 1687. 

 Fl. B. Ind. ii. 399. Wight, Ic. t. 562. 



Annual herb with a long tap root and a short erect central 

 stem and many spreading or prostrate ones, glabrous or very 

 finely glandular-pubescent ; 1. small, f-ij in., sessile, linear- 

 strap-shaped, tapering at both ends, acute, glabrous or 

 puberulous ; fl. small, numerous, on short slender ped., usually 

 2 at end of slender glandular- pubescent axillary and terminal 

 peduncles as long as 1. ; cal. finely glandular-pubescent, segm. 

 short triangular, persistent, pet. oblong, about as long as cal- 

 segm. ; capsule £ in., subglobose, crowned with cal.-segm. ; 

 seeds very minute and numerous. 



Dry region ; apparently very rare. Jaffna, frequent. Fl. Feb., March ; 

 white. 



Dry or desert districts of India, Persia, and Trop. Africa. 

 Easily mistaken for an Oldenlandia. 



[V. viscosa, Roxb., given for Ceylon in Fl. B. Ind., does not occur 

 here (see Thw. Enum. 418).] 



XLVI I. —CRASSULACECE. 



Perennial herbs, 1. opp., simple, succulent, without stip.; fl. 

 regular, bisexual, in paniculate cymes; sep. 4, very slightly 

 connate at base ; pet. completely combined into a cor. with a 



