N. 0. AOANTHACE^. 955 



N. 0. ACANTHACFJE. 



912. Gardanthera uliginosa, Ham. h.f.b.l, iv. 

 403. 



Syn. :— Ruellia uliginosa, Linn. /. Roxb. 475 ; Adenosma 

 ulginosa, Nees. 



Habitat : — In dry-up rice-swamps ; S. Madras, frequent. 

 Sikkim Terai. 



An annual herb, 1-2 Jft., erect or decumbent, branching from 

 the base. Stem pubescent upwards. Leaves 1 by £in., glabrous, 

 sab-pubescent, subsessile, oblong or subovate, entire or crenate. 

 Spikes ]-3in., scarcely interrupted at the base even in fruit. 

 Flowers mostly in opposite axils. Bracts Jin., from elliptic 

 to cordate, glabrous or puberulous, 4-ranked, imbricated 

 in fruit, bracteoles |in , ovate or elliptic. Sepals Jin., linear, 

 pubescent. Corolla fin., puberulous. Stamens 4, fertile. Anthers 

 of the posterior stamens half as large as of the anterior. Capsule 

 Jin., minutely pilose upwards. 



Use : — The juice of its leaves mixed with salt, is used on 

 the Malabar Coast as a blood purifier. (Balfour.) 



913. Hygrophila spinosa, J. Anders, h.f.b.l, 

 iv. 408. 



Syn :— Ruellia longifolia, Eoxb, 475 ; Asteracantha longifolia, 

 Nees. 



Sans. : — Ikshugandha ; Kokilaksha. 



Vern. : — Tal-makhana, gokshura (H.) ; Kuliakhara, kante- 

 kalika (B.) ; Niramalli (Tam.) ; Nirguri veru (Tel.) ; Talima- 

 khana, Kolasunda (Mar.) ; Ekharo, gokhru (Guz.) ; Kalavan 

 kabija (Kan.). 



Habitat : — Abundant throughout India in ditches ; from the 

 Himalaya to Ceylon. Very common in the Konkan. 



An annual marshy herb, with an ascending rhizome. Stems 

 numerous, stout, erect, hispid, 2-5ft., usually fascicled and undi- 

 vided or unbranched, somewhat compressed, thickened at nodes 

 with long hair below each node. Leaves sessile, 6 at a node, 

 2 outer 4-5 in., 4 inner about If in. each having a nearly straight 



