OENOTHERACEAE 355 



Species about 20, mostly in North America, 2 widely distributed in 

 the tropics of the Old World, both in the Philippines. 



Pods stout, 6 to 8 mm long, about 2.5 mm thick, seeds not showing through 

 the capsule walls 1. £,. parvifiora 



Pods slender, 1 to 1.5 cm long, 1 to 1.5 mm thick, 4-angled, seeds distinctly 

 showing through the capsule walls 2. L. prostrata 



1. L. PARVIFLOEA Roxb. 



An erect, branched, glabrous, annual herb 10 to 30 cm high or more, 

 stems often purplish, terete. Leaves lanceolate, acute, 2 to 6 cm long, 

 base narrowed. Flowers axillary, solitary, 4-merous, shortly pedicelled. 

 Calyx-lobes oblong, acuminate, green, reflexed, about 2 mm long. Petals 

 yellow, oblong-elliptic, 3 mm long, spreading. Capsules oblong, subcylin- 

 drie, with 4 rounded angles, green or purplish, 6 to 8 mm long, the seeds 

 in several rows in each cell, not distinguishable through the cell-walls. 



In open wet grass lands and waste places, fl. Oct.-Feb., and probably 

 in other months; widely distributed in the Philippines, probably introduced. 

 India, through Malaya to northern Australia. 



2. L. PROSTRATA Roxb. 



An erect or ascending, branched, glabrous, annual herb with angled 

 stems 20 to 60 cm high. Leaves oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, narrowed 

 at both ends, acuminate, the larger ones 6 to 8 cm long, few or many 

 smaller ones intermixed. Flowers small, 4-merous, axillary, solitary, sessile, 

 the calyx-lobes and petals about 2 mm long. Capsules linear, 4-angled, 

 slender, 1 to 1.5 cm long, 1 to 1.5 mm thick, the seeds in one row in each 

 cell, distinctly showing through the cell walls. 



Old rice paddies, Caloocan, Masambong, etc., fl. Oct.-Dec, and probably 

 in other months; widely distributed in the Philippines, probably an intro-^ 

 duced plant here. India to Japan southward to Malaya. 



2. JUSSIAEA Linnaeus 



Erect, often suffrutescent, or prostrate and spreading herbs growing in 

 wet or marshy places. Leaves alternate, entire or nearly so. Flowers 

 yellow or white, axillary, solitary, the pedicels usually 2-bracteolate. Calyx- 

 tube linear, the teeth 4 to 6, persistent, linear. Petals 4 to 6, epigynous. 

 Stamens twice as many as the petals, inserted with them. Ovary 4- or 

 5-celled; ovules many, in several axile rows in each cell. Capsule linear, 

 round, or angular, 4- or 5-celled, 8- or 10-ribbed, septicidal or opening 

 irregularly. (In honor of A. L. de Jussieu, a French botanist.) 



Species about '36, in all tropical countries, most numerous in America, 

 3 in the Philippines. 



1. A spreading or floating aquatic plant with obovate leaves and 5-merous 



white flowers 1. J. repena 



1. Erect, herbaceous or suflprutescent, usually branched, the leaves lanceolate, 

 the flowers 4-merous, yellow. 



2. Flowers large; pods about 5 mm thick., 2. J. suffruticosa 



2. Flowers small; pods 1 to 2 mm thick 3. J. linifoUa 



1. J. repens L. 



A creeping or floating, glabrous, herbaceous plant, the leaves obovate to 

 oblong-obovate, rounded or obtuse, 1.5 to 5 cm long, the floating stem 

 frequently with cylindric white vescicles at the nodes. Flowers axillary. 



