70 Gr. King — Materials for a Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. [No. 1, 



sheathing at the base ; stipules 0. Flowers hermaphrodite or polyga- 

 mous, in compound umbels (simple in Hydrocotyle and Bupleurum), 

 exterior of the umbel sometimes radiant; umbels with involucriform 

 bracts at the base of the general one and bracteoles at the base of the 

 partial ones (umbellules). Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, limb or 

 5-toothed. Petals 5, epigynous, often unequal, and with a median fold 

 on the face, plane or emarginate or 2-lobed with the apex inflexed ; 

 imbricated in bud, in Hydrocotyle sometimes valvate. Stamens 5, epigy- 

 nous. Ovary inferior, 2-celled, disc 2-lobed ; styles 2, stigmas capi- 

 tellate; ovules 1 in each cell, pendulous. Fruit of 2 indehiscent 

 dorsally or laterally compressed carpels, separated by a commissure ; 

 carpels each attached to and often pendulous from a slender often 

 forked axis (carpophore), with 5 primary ridges (1 dorsal, 2 marginal 

 and 2 intermediate) and often 4 secondary ones intercalated between 

 these; pericarp often traversed by oil-canals (vittse). Seed 1 in each 

 carpel, pendulous, albumen cartilaginous ; embryo small, next the hilum, 

 radicle superior. — Distrib. Species about 1,500, mainly in Europe, 

 North Africa, West Central and North Asia ; a few are North American, 

 tropical, and natives of the Southern Hemisphere. 



Creeping unarmed herbs ... ... ... 1. Hydrocotyle. 



Erect spinous herbs ... ... ... ... 2. Eryngiuii. 



1. Hydrocotyle, Linn. 



Prostrate herbs, rooting at the nodes. Leaves (in the Indian 

 species) cordate or hastate, not peltate, round or 5-9-gonal, subentire or 

 palmately lobed, palmate-nerved, loug-petioled ; stipules small, scarious. 

 Umbels (in the Indian species) simple, small ; bracts small or ; flowers 

 white, sometimes unisexual. Calyx-teeth or minute. Petals entire, 

 valvate or imbricate. Fruit laterally compressed, commissure narrow ; 

 carpels laterally compressed or sub-pentagonal ; lateral primary ridges 

 concealed within the commissure, or distant therefrom and prominent ; 

 vittse 0, or most slender, obscure ; carpophore 0. Seed laterally com- 

 pressed. — Distrib. Species 70 ; in wet places in tropical and temperate 

 regions, more numerous in the Southern Hemisphere. 



Petals acute, valvate ; fruit with no secondary ridges ; 



pericarp thin ... ... ... ... 1. H. javanica. 



Petals obtuse, imbricate; fruit with prominent secondary 



ridges, the pericarp thickened ... ... ... 2. H. asiatica. 



1. Hydrocotyle javanica, Thunb. Dissert. Hydrocot. n. 17, t. 2: 

 ed. Pers, II, 415, t. 2. Leaves reniform, 5-6-lobed, the lobes irregularly 

 crenate, sometimes sub-entire, 1 to 3 in. broad. Peduncles long, slender, 

 often clustered. Petals acute, valvate. Fruit much compressed, the 



