Vdhlia.'] Lii. SAXIFEAGACE^. - (0. B. Clarke.) 399 



3. V A Kill A, Thutib. 



Annual or biennial herbs, ieanes opposite, entire ; stipules 0. Flowers ax- 

 illary, visually geminate, subsessUe or pedicelled. Cah/x-iube entirely adherent 

 to the ovary ; lobes.5, Talvate, persistent in fruit. , Petals 5, «pigynous. Stamens 

 5, epigynous. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with 2 pendulous many-ovuled placentas ; 

 styles 2, stigma capitellate.' Cc^sule dehiscing at the apex Between the styles. 

 Seeds numerous, minute, ellipsoid, smooth. — Disteib. Species 3 ; in tropical and 

 subtropical Asia, and in tropical and South Africa. 



1. v. viscosa,,. Soxb. M. Ind. ii. 89 ; flowers subsessile geminate or soli- 

 tary in nearly all the upper axils, filaments with a, minute hairy scale at the 

 base. W. 8; A. Prodr. 364 ; Wight le. t. 563 ; H.f. ^ T. in Journ. linn. Soc. 

 ii. 74 ; Dak. Sf Gibs. Bomb. Pl. 90 ; Oliv. Fl. Trap. Afr.,n. 383. V. sessiliflora, 

 WaU. Cat. 7188 ; DC. Prodr. iv. 64. V. Weldenii, Seich. Sort. Bot. t. 91 ; DC. 

 Prodr, iv. 53. Bistella geminiflora, Delile Centurie PI. d'Afriq. No. Q\,with a 

 Jlgwre. Oldenlandia digyna, Retz Obs. iv. 23. 



Dry places of India, from Ceylon to Bundelkund and the Punjab, frequent. — . 

 DisTHiB. Persia, Egypt, tropical Africa. 



Glandular-pubescent. Stem 6-12 in. high, erect or difiuse, branched. Leaves 

 ^-1 in. long, subsessile, oblong, narrowed at both ends, ovate or lanceolate. Petals 

 about J in, long, white (ex Eoxb. yellow), obovate. Stamens and styles about i in, 

 long in the Indian specimens, these parts much larger and the filaments pubescent in 

 the African var. Weldenii. Capsule about ^ in. diam., subglobose. — This and the suc- 

 ceeding species when in fruit must be carefully distinguished from Oldenlandia which 

 has the capsule completely 2-ceUed. . The leaves of Vahlia have often a connecting 

 line as if falsely stipulate. Mitreola which differs by its single style is also mixed with 

 VaUia in Herbaria. 



2. V. oldenlandioides, Boxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 89 ; peduncles |-^ in. long 

 from nearly all the upper axils mostly 2-flowered, filaments naked at the base. 

 W. ^ A. Prodr. 364; Wiffht Itt. t. 115 ; Ic. t. 562 ; H.f. 8; T. in Journ. Linn. 

 ioe. ii. 74 ; Oliv. Fl. Trap. Afr. ii. 384. V. Oldenlandise, DC. Prodr. iv. 54 ; 

 WaU. Cat. 7187. V. silenoides, DC. Prodr. iv. 54. 



Tropical dry portion of the Western Peninsula and Ceylon ; Shuter, Feroitet, 

 Roxburgh, Wight, &c. — Distrib. Tropical Africa. _ _ 



Glandular-pubescent upwards. Stem 3-12 in. high, erect or diffuse, branched. 

 Leaves J-2 in. long, subsessile, linear or linear-ovate. Calyx-lobes not exceeding the 

 tube. Petals about ^ in. long, white, obovate. Capsule about ^ in. diam., subglobose.- 



4. TXAAEIiXiA, 



Slender erectherbs; root perennial. iea««s alternate ; radical long-petioled 

 ■with large stipules adnate to base of petiole ; stipules of upper leaves small. Ba- 

 ceme terminal, subebracteate. Cah/x shortly adnate to the ovary ; lobes 5, yalvate. 

 Petals 6, white, or 0. Stamens 10, the 5 alternate with sepals sometimes without 

 anthers. Ovari/ 1-ceUed of 2 carpels ending in two styles ; ovules numerous, 

 attached to two nearly basal placentas. Bipe carpels very unequal, diverging at top, 

 and dehiscing ventraUy. Seeds 6-16, near the base of the fruit, ellipsoid, smooth. 

 —Disteib. Species 6, one Himalayan and Japanese ; the other 4 North 

 American. 



1. T. polypbylla, Don Prodr. 210 ; stem-leaves several all petioled 

 QOrdate-ovate subpentagonal crenate-serrate, petals small linear or 0, fruitcernuous 



