Lawsonia.] LythracecE. 22 J 



Also in India, China, Trop. Africa, and Madagascar. 

 The stamens are trimorphic as in Lythrum. 



Xesaa trifiora, Kunth., is C. P. 1541, and recorded in Thw. Enum. 417. 

 The specimens were collected by Walker, and were no doubt introduced. 

 The plant is a native of Mauritius. 



3. PEMPHIS, Forst. 



A maritime shrub, 1. opp., fleshy; fl. axillary, solitary; 

 cal.-tube campanulate, segm. 6, short, with intermediate teeth; 

 pet. 6, inserted between cal.-segm., spreading; stam. 12, in- 

 serted near the base of cal.-tube; ov. superior, 3-celled with 

 numerous ovules, stigma large, capitate; fruit a capsule, en- 

 closed for f of its length in cal.-tube, pericarp thin in enclosed 

 portion, thicker in projecting blunt summit, which separates 

 as a cap; seeds large, numerous, cuneate, angular, smooth. — 

 Monotypic. 



P. acidula, Forst. Gen. 67 (1776). 



Ly thrum Pemphz's, L. f. Suppl. PI. 249. Moon Cat. 37. Thw. Enum. 

 122. C. P. 1553. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 573. Wight, Ic. t. 1996 (Maclellandia Griffithiand). 



A shrub, 3-5 ft. high, with very numerous ascending vir- 

 gate branches densely clothed with fine white pubescence, 

 especially round the nodes; 1. small, numerous, sessile, often 

 very closely placed, \—\\ in., readily disarticulating, lanceolate- 

 oblong, acute at base, obtuse at apex, densely silvery-pubes- 

 cent on both sides, fleshy; fl. on pubescent ped. as long as 

 cal., solitary, axillary; cal. 12-ribbed, densely pubescent, segm. 

 very short, triangular, acute, intermediate teeth similar but 

 smaller; pet. rather large, as long as cal., oblong, undulate; 

 capsule \ in. long, tipped by persistent style. 



Seacoast; rather common. Jaffna; Trincomalie; Galle; Dondra 

 Head; Kalpitiya; Chilaw. Fl. July, August ; pink. 

 Tropical shores of the Old World generally. 

 First collected by Koenig. 



4. LAWSONIA, -'■/.. 



A shrub, 1. opp. entire; fl. small, in large terminal panicles; 

 cal.-tube very short, segm. 4; pet. 4, inserted at summit of 

 cal.-tube; stam. 8, inserted on cal.-tube in pairs; ov. superior, 

 4-celled, ovules numerous, style simple; fruit a small capsule, 

 with thin pericarp, dehiscing irregularly; seeds numerous, 

 closely packed, smooth, angular. — Monotypic. 



* Commemorates Dr. Isaac Lawson, a Scotch friend of Linnaeus. 



