ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN 
BOTANY 
By Dr. Wight & G. A. W. Arnott, Esq. 
(Conti 
POLYCARP#A SPADICEA. 
Tas. VI. 
Pentanpria MoNoGYNIA.—Nat. 
PARONYCHIEJE 
I from p. 82. ) 
Ord. 
GEN. Cuar. Calyx, 5-partitus aut pro- 
funde 5-fidus ; sepalis planiusculis, mar- 
ine eae nec carinatis nec 
mucronatis. Petata 5, et Stamina 5, 
fere hypogyna. Stylus conicus, filifor- 
mis. Stigmata 3. Capsula unilocularis, 
trigona, trivalvis, polysperma. Semina 
placente centrali affixa. — Herbe aut 
suffrutices, sepius valde ramosi. Folia 
opposita sed ex ramis axillaribus bre- 
vissimis foliosis pseudo-verticillata. Sti- 
 pule scariosg. Flores cymoso-corym- 
bosi, ext. albo-virescentes. 
Polycarpea spadicea ; suffruticosa, cauli- 
us diffusis valde ramosis ramisque to- 
< mentosis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis vel 
linearibus, vel rarius setaceis obtusius- 
culis, vel acutis mucronatisve junioribus 
subtomentosis, cymis terminalibus co- 
bosis, sepalis omnino scariosis lan- 
ceolatis acuminatis capsula duplove tri- 
plove longioribus. W. & A. Lam. Ili. 
t sud. 27 e Cand. Prodr. v. 3. p. 374. 
dg |S Achyrantis corymbosa, Willd.? Sp. 
EPL.1 p- 1200.—Moilia (OV 
pRa? Hort. Berol. Spr. Sys 
e i. 95. — Lahaya cor A 
Schult. ? Syst. Veg. v. 5. p. 405.— 
Polia arenaria, Lour Coches. (ed. 
Willd.) v. 1 . 204, DAF. A ; foliis 
-obl n rym- 
__ bis densifloris, ee Cat. n. 1163 
Polycarpea spadicea, Wall. List, m. 
. 1912. b. (a. nobis non visa).—var 
foliis approximatis oblongo- hes 
stipulas superantibus inferioribus suba- 
Wight, Cat. n. 1170. .—Polycarpea den- 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY. 
117 
siflora. Wall. a n. vy Psa 
<10, TAB 
— Rheede, Mal. 
nostr.—var. à. ramis vadit RE 
setaceis mucronatis, corymbis laxis tene- 
ribus Wight, Cat. n. 1171—P. sub- 
ulata, De Cand.? in Lam. Encycl. 
Meth. v. 5. 5. 
DEscr. Root perennial, wood 
numerous, diffuse and often 
branched, tomentose. te, 
from shortly oblong and slightly obtuse to 
long, linear and piles acute; when 
young, tomentose, when old, becoming 
glabrous; usually there is a tuft of young 
leaves, or an abortive branch in the axils 
of the proper leaves, so that they appear 
verticillate. Stipules membranous and 
scariose, very thin and shining, small, lan- 
ceolate, acuminated, glabrous. Flowers ter- 
minal, cymose or corymbose. Calyx whitish, 
scariose and shining, five-partite; seg- 
ments lanceolate, much acuminated. Petals 
five, reddish, narrow, obovate, slightly emar- 
gimate at the apex, alternate with the 
segments of the calyx and not half so long, 
uy hypogynous. Stamens five, alternate 
with the petals, and inserted with them, 
opposite to the sepals, scarcely so long as 
the petals. Anthers roundish, two-celled. 
Ovary ovate, free from the calyx, contain- 
ing about three or four perfect seeds, with 
the remains of several others, all attached 
to a central free placenta. Seeds oblong, 
rugulose; Albumen mealy. Embryo cylin- 
drical, curved. Radicle pointing to the 
hilum. Cotyledons two, small 
Common on the most arid soils, and in 
flower at all seasons of the year. As a 
species, this can scarcely be said to differ 
from P. corymbosa; the extremes are no 
doubt very dissimilar, but the accompany- 
ing figure tends to unite the two. We 
have some varieties of the present, with 
the leaves almost oval and short, while in 
the usual state of P. corymbosa, they are 
often subulate.  Rheede's figure, above 
quoted, is exceedingly ill executed. 
very few specimens of the variety 3. pre- 
sent two forms, one a first year's growth, Re 
with the root the same as that of amo os 
annual and the stem erect, but dichoto- 
