188 Podostemacece. 



bursting irregularly at the apex, about Inline long. Pedicels cylindrical, 

 curved upwards at the time of flowering, and about 2|-lines long, but 

 ultimately extending to 5-lines, covered with a thin coat of pellucid 

 deciduous cellular tissue. Floral envelopes none. Stamens 4, hypogynous, 

 unilateral, the lateral filaments abortive, complanate, setaceous, a little 

 more than half as long as the two intermediate ones, which are fertile, 

 about 1-line long, united nearly to the apex, and forming an oblong- 

 linear column, each fork of which bears a single anther : anthers 2- 

 celled, introrse, dehiscing longitudinally, the cells oblong, disunited an- 

 teriorly, but connected behind by a thin cellular connective, the internal 

 one smaller than the external. Pollen yellow, oblong, very much con- 

 stricted in the middle, ovary superior, sessile, glabrous, covered with 

 the same deciduous cellular tissue as the pedicel, obsoletely 8-sulcate, 

 2-celled. Ovules numerous, ascending. Style none : stigma sessile, deeply 

 2-lobed, lobes unequal, at length deciduous. Capsule oval, about 1-line 

 long, deeply 8-sulcate, 2-celled, 2-valved, with a septicidal dehiscence. 

 Placenta flattened, attached to the dissepiment, the whole of which 

 ultimately become free. Seeds numerous, ascending. 



Obser. — This species resembles P. dichotomum in habit, 

 but is a less branched, and far more robust plant. Before the 

 spathe bursts, the whole plant very much resembles a large 

 Sertularia. The nature of the scales will prevent it from 

 being confounded with any of the other species. 



9. PODOSTEMON ELONGATUM. Gardn. 

 P. frondibus cylindrico-capillaribus valde elongatis parce 

 ramosis, foliis fasciculatis complanatis setaceis, floribus 

 marginalibus, spatha irregulariter lobata glabra, capsula 8- 

 costata. 



Hab. — On rocks in the bed of the Massnawatte near 

 Holnicut in the Ambegamoa district, and in rapids in the 

 Mahawelle Ganga below Peradenia, Ceylon. Fl. February 

 and March. 



Descr. — Fronds cylindrical, capillary, six inches to two feet long, spar- 

 ingly branched, coriaceous, and of a dark olivaceous colour. Leaves in 



