Mollugo.] Ficoidec?. 2 7 1 



downy on both sides, petiole \ in., slender, stellate-hairy ; fl. 

 axillary, 1-6 at a node, ped. unequal, |— § in., stiff, divaricate; 

 sep. j in., lanceolate, acute, stellate-hairy outside ; pet. filiform, 

 about as long as sep., deeply bifid ; stam. 10; ov. ovoid, gla- 

 brous, 5-lobed, 5-celled, with very numerous ovules, stigmas 

 5, sessile, spreading ; seeds ovoid, pitted, dark brown, shining, 

 with a small white scale at the hilum extended into a long 

 filiform process which curves over the top of the seed. 



Dry region ; rather common. Bintenne ; Anemaduwa, N.W. Prov. 

 Fl. July, August ; pinkish-white. 



In all Tropical and warm countries. 



1. TIL. oppositifolia, L. Sp. PI. 89 (1753). Hin-pala, S. 

 K.achchantiray, T. 



Herm. Mus. 4. Burm. Thes. 13. Fl. Zeyl. n. 52. Moon Cat. 9. 

 Pharnaceum Molhigo, L., Moon Cat. 23. M. Spergtda, L., Thw. Enum. 

 24 ; Trim. Syst. Cat. 39. C. P. 1095. 



Fl. B. Ind. ii. 662 (M. Spergula). Burm. Thes. t. 7. 



Annual or perennial, stems numerous, prostrate, much 

 branched, glabrous, with long internodes ; 1. in whorls of 

 4 or 5, unequal, 2 usually larger than the others, reaching 

 f in., from linear to oval, often somewhat spathulate, much 

 tapering to base, rounded or acute, apiculate at apex, petiole 

 obscure; fi. axillary, 1-5 at a node, ped. ^-f in., very slender; 

 sep. oblong, subacute, with membranous margins; pet. gene- 

 rally o ; stam. 3 ; capsule surrounded by persistent sep., 

 oblong-ovoid, 3-celled ; seeds very numerous, tuberculate, 

 brown, with a similar appendage to M. hirta. 



Low country, especially in the dry region ; a common weed. Fl. 

 all the year ; white. 



Also in India, Trop. Africa, and Australia. 



Varies considerably in habit and in width of leaves. Linnasus's name, 

 M. Spergula, has been usually applied to this, but is later by six years 

 than his M. oppositifolia. 



Wight and Arnott state (Prod. 44) that all the Indian specimens have 

 5-forked pet. and 5 or 10 stam. 



Used as a pot-herb. ' Jean-pala' is Hermann's name for this. 



3. TIL. pentaphylla, L. Sp. PI. 89 (1753). 



Herm. Mus. 33. Burm. Thes. 12 and 13. Fl. Zeyl. n. 51. Moon 

 Cat. 9. Thw. Enum. 24. M. stricta, L., Thw. Enum. 24; Trim. Syst. 

 Cat. 39. C. P. 1096, 1097. 



Fl Ii. Ind. ii. 663 (M. stricta). Burm. Thes. t. 6, f. 2 and t. 8, upper 

 figure. 



Annual, with many spreading, diffuse, dichotomously 

 branched, slender, glabrous, quadrangular stems ; 1 2-6 in 

 a whorl, \-\ in., from lanceolate-linear to obovate, much 

 tapering to base, apiculate, petiole obscure; fl. numerous, on 



