to Sciaphila of Blume. 46/ 



dehiscentes, membranacei, glandulis pillucidis tecti. Semen 

 nudum, ovoideum basi apiculatum : testa dura, fragilis, re- 

 ticulata : raphce notata. Embryo inter albumen minimus : 

 radicula hilo proxima. 



Herba pusilla, Ceylanica, 6-8 pollicaris aphylla> tenerrima, 

 hyalina : scapo erecto spiciformi, scepius dichotomo : floribus 

 minutis, purpurascentibus. 



1. Hyalisma Janthina, Champion. 



Hab. — Near Galle, Ceylon. Flowers in December to April. 



Descr. — A minute annual plant, throwing out a mass of fibres 

 from a root deeply seated in the earth, and after that a flowering 

 scape which withers after fructification and is succeeded by a second 

 scape; frequently having the two scapes together. Leafless and 

 not lactescent ; the scape furnished with alternate ovate bracteoles ; 

 the flowers spiked and in verticels of two to three flowers together, 

 subumbellate ; pedicels longish and bracted at base. Scape angled ; 

 bracteoles and bracts about a line long. Flowers minute, about a 

 line to a line and a quarter in diameter ; the lower usually female, 

 the upper male; and in poor specimens, the flowers are occasionally 

 all male. Limb of the Perigonium purple, patent, divided into 8-linear 

 ovate segments. 



Male flowers. — Stamina 4, opposite the alternate segments of the 

 perigonium and attached to them by the filament : anthers large, 

 peltate, whitish ; when young somewhat 4-lobed, but when burst- 

 ing spuriously 2-celled, and open their whole extent : pollen sphe- 

 rical. Disk fleshy and extending between the anthers. Sterile 

 ovary none. 



Female flowers. — Ovaries very numerous, seated on a convex disk, 

 purplish and covered with pellucid glands, obovoid : style lateral, 

 half as long again as the ovary, attached to its base, linear persis- 

 tent : stigma pointed. Fruit the enlarged ovary, at length bursting 

 from bottom to top and showing a naked seed. Testa hard, brittle, reti- 

 culated, one of the sides indurated by a prominent rapha3. Embryo 



