12 Flora of the Malayan Peninsula. 
Fiowers small, hermaphrodite, in large or small, bracteate and brac- 
teolate, spicate or capitate clusters; perfect flowers 1—3 in each 
cluster, surrounded by imperfect ones. Perianth-segments 5, scarious, 
I-nerved, acuminate or with hooked rigid awns; in the imperiect 
flowers reduced to hooked rigid awns. Stamens 5; filaments connate 
below with intervening lacerate or 2—3-fid staminodes into a hypogy- 
nous membranous cup; anthers 2-celled. Ovary obovoid, 1-celled; 
ovule solitary, pendulous from a long basal funicle; style simple, 
filiform ; stigma capitellate. Fruit an ovoid membranous utricle 
enclosed in the perianth, its apex areolate. Seed inverse, oblong: 
testa coriaceous, tegmen membranous; embryo annular; cotyledons 
linear-oblong, flat, surrounding the farinaceous albumen; radicle 
erect.—DistTris. About 10species in tropical and subtemperate Asia, 
Africa and America. 
1. CYATHULA PROSTRATA, Blume Bijdr. 549 (1825). Aslender an- 
nual herb, prostrate below, erect above, thickened and rooting at 
the lower nodes; stem angular, glabrous or scaberulous, trichoto- 
mously branched above, upper branchlets and rachis densely hispid- 
tomentose. Leaves elliptic-rhomboid or ovate, acute at apex, cuneate 
at base; both surfaces strigosely hispid, lower often reddish; 
2—6 cm. long, 1—3 cm. broad ; main nerves 4—6 pair, prominent ; 
petiole very short, sometimes 0. Flowers pale violet, in small droop- 
ing clusters arranged in terminal spicate pedunculate racemes 10—15 
cm. long; pedicels very short; bract and bracteoles ovate, acumi- 
nate, hispid-pubescent. Pertanth-lobes of the 2—3 perfect flowers 5, 
lanceolate, acuminate, 3-nerved, hispid, 2—2°5 mm. long: those of 
imperfect flowers similar or reduced to hooked awns. Siamens 5 with 
slender filaments and minute orbicular anthers, alternating with short 
bifid staminodes and forming below a hyaline cup. Ovary obovoid, 
glabrous; style slender; stigma capitellate. Utricle thinly mem- 
branous, ovoid, surmounted by the remains of the style. Seed 1—1-°5 
mm. long, oblong-ellipsoid, testa smooth, shining ; cotyledons oblong, 
flat. Mog. in DC. Prodr. XIII. 2. 326; Dalz. and Gibs. Bomb. FI. 
219; Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. IV. 723; Trimen Fl. Ceyl. IIT. 398; Cooke 
Bomb. Fl. II. 496; Prain Beng. Plants 872. C. repens, Mog. 1. c. 
330. C. geniculata, Lour. Fl. Cochinch. I. 112; Miq. Fl. Ind. Bat. 
T. 1.1045. Achyranthes prostraia, Linn. Sp. Pl. Ed. 2. 296; Roxb. Fl. 
Ind. I. 674 and Ed. Carey and Wall. II. 501. Desmocheia prostraia, 
DC. Cat. Hort. Monsp. 102; Wight Ic. t. 733. D. patula? Wall. 
Cat. 6937; D. repens, Roem. and Sch. Syst. V. 552; Wall. Cat. 
6938. ‘Scheru-cadelari’ Rheede Hort. Mal X. 157. t. 79. 
