ACANTHACEAE 443 



brous, ovules 3 to 10 in each cell. Capsule clavate, base narrowed, solid, 

 cylindric, seed-bearing above. Seeds 6 or more. (In honor of J. Ruellie 

 or Ruel, a French botanist.) 



Species about 200, in all warm regions, 2 or 3 in the Philippines. 



1. R. repens L. 



A slender, spreading or ascending, branched, somewhat hairy or nearly 

 glabrous herb 20 to 50 cm in length. Leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, 2 to 5 cm long, with few, scattered, strigose hairs. Bracteoles 

 ^ leaf -like, oblong to spatulate, 1 to 1.5 cm long. Calyx about 5 mm long, 

 the lobes linear. Corolla white or very pale-blue, 1.2 to 1.5 cm long, slightly 

 hairy externally. Capsule hairy or nearly glabrous, about 1 cm long. 



In open places and borders of thickets, Caloocan, Pasay, etc., fl, June-Dec; 

 widely distributed in the Philippines. Siam to China and Malaya. 



15. HEMIGRAPHI8 Nees 



Erect or prostrate herbs with opposite, toothed or entire leaves. Flowers 

 in terminal spikes, the bracts large, imbricate, each usually with but 1 

 flower, the bracteoles small and narrow or none. Calyx 5-partite. Corolla 

 tubular, cylindric below, swollen above, pale-blue or purplish, the lobes 5. 

 Stamens 4, in 2 pairs, included. Capsule linear to linear-oblong, 4- to 

 20-seeded. (Gteek "half" and "stylus.") 



Species about 30, India to Japan and Malaya, about 12 in the Phil- 

 ippines. 



Plant purple, cultivated only; leaves ovate; corolla about 1.8 cm long. 



1. H. colorata 

 Plant green; leaves elliptie-oblbng; corolla about 12 mm long.. 2. H. reptana 



♦1. H. COLORATA (Bl.) Hallier f. 



A spreading or ascending, simple or sparingly branched, nearly gla- 

 brous herb, the stems prostrate and rooting at the lower nodes, all parts 

 of the plant purple or purplish, the lower surfaces of the leaves uniformly 

 so. Leaves ovate, 4 to 9 cm' long, crenate, base broadj cordate, apex acute 

 or blunt, the petioles up to 6 cm in length. Spikes terminal or in the 

 upper axils, peduncled, 2 to 3.5 cm long, the bracts oblong to lanceolate, 

 dark-purple, 1 to 1.5 cm long. Calyx 8 to 10 mm long, purple, the lobes 

 6, linear-lanceolate, acuminate. Corolla white, with few, slender, purplish 

 lines, about 1.8 cm long, the tube slender below, much inflated above. 



Frequently cultivated as a border plant, fl. all the year. A native of 

 Malaya, introduced and cultivated only, 



2. H. reptans (Forst.) T. And.,'var. primullfolia (Nees) Hallier f. 



A spreading herb, the stems somewhat pubescent, rather slender, often 

 rooting at the nodes, the flowering branches erect or ascending, 6 to 15 

 cm high. Leaves elliptic-oblong to ovate-oblong, 4 to 8 cm long, obtuse or 

 rounded, base cordate, margins crenate, somewhat pale on the lower surface. 

 Spikes terminal, 1 to 3 cm long, the bracts green, persistent, oblong- 

 oblanceolate or spatulate, 8 to 16 mm long. Flowers 1 or sometimes 2 in 

 the axil of each bract. Calyx green, deeply cleft into 5 narrowly lanceolate 

 lobes. Corolla 10 to 12 mm long, pale-straw-colored or white, with faint 

 purplish lines, the tube slender below, enlarged above, the limb about 7 

 mm in diameter. Capsule 7 to 8 mm long. 



