466 



D i e t y 1 e a e. 



Aiuaraiitaceae. 

 Achyranthes rubro-fusca Wight Icou. V. t. 1778!*). 



Plautam ex seminibiis Nilagiricis eiiatam Wiglitii spe- 

 ciem habeiniis, quamvis pauca in descriplioiie iiostra ab ico- 

 nis figiiris quibusdam, nulla descriplioiie nberiore aduinbralis 

 abhorrent. Eu descriptioiiem iiostram plaiitae in caldario 

 cultae. 



Caulis aunuiis, patulo-raniosus, pluripedalis cum ramis 

 telragoiius, piiberuliis, viridis v. ex viridi-pnrpurascens, arti- 

 culatus , articulorum basi ad nodos leviter iiicrassatos sangui- 

 ueo-piirpurea, parte siib linea folia couuectente sita angu- 

 stiore saugiiinea. Folia (snperiora tantum aderant in floreute 

 planta qiiae infera omnia dejecerat) petiolata, petiolo semi- 



*) Haec verba ab aiictore pro diagnosi et descriptione traduutur: 

 „Herbaceoiis ; stein erect , ramous , round, pubesceut, branclies 

 ascending, leaves ovate acuiiiinate, short petiolated^, finely pu- 

 besceut Oll both sides; spikes virgate compact; flowers shiuiug 

 pale greeuisli , awn of the bractea as long as the limb; calj'x 

 larger than the bracts; sepals 3-uerved, glabrous ; staminodes 

 truncated fimbriated on tlie inargin , aboiit half the leugth of the 

 filaments; style equaliug tlie stamens. Neilgherries in moist 

 seil. This species seeins in appearance uearly allied to A. fru- 

 ticosa ihat is so far as caii be leariied t'roni writteu characters, 

 but is abundantly distinct as shown by the aual^'sis of the flo- 

 wers. Fig. 8. iu the plate represents the albumen higUIy luagui- 

 fied which appears to consist of an congeries of minute globular 

 graius giving a cellular appearance to the maguified representa- 

 tion. The stem and the brauches of the growing plant have a 

 reddish brown colour., whencc the nauie. in drying the red tiuge 

 fades and the brown becomes doeper." 



