SoNESiLLA.j MELASTOMACE^. 347 



short. Petals 3, acute or o"btuse. Stame^yg usually 3, equal ; anther- 

 ■cells shortly divaricate at the hase ; connective not appendaged ; ovar^ 

 inferior, 3 -celled, glabrous at the apex ; sii/le simple, filiform; ovules 

 many, placentas axile. Capsule ohoYoidi, trigonous, elongate funnel- 

 shaped, or campanulate, opening at the top by 3 valves. Seeds very 

 many, smooth or covered by glandular points or small tubercles, ovoid 

 or ellipsoid. — Species over 100, throughout Tropical Asia. 



S. tenera, RoyU III. 215, t 4o. f. 2 ; F. ^. I. ii, 530. 



Annual. Stems 2-4 in., erect, weak, sometimes winged, puberulous or 

 minutely pubescent. Le-aves l-i in. long, ovate, subentire, sparsely 

 hairy ; petiole less than | in. Calyx-titbe puberulous and with lax hairs ; 

 teeth ovate, acute, as long as broad. Petals -g- in., ovate, acute, rose-purple- 

 J. ni/isrs short, oblong, hardlv narrowed at the apes. Qapsule nearly 

 i in., 3-gonous, funnel-shaped, the ribs between the angles very obseure. 

 Seeds ovoid, smooth, raphe not excurrent. 



Dehra Dun. Distbib, Subtropical W. Himalaya, abundant also in Chota 

 Nagpur. 



¥ 



LI.— LYTHRACE-SS. 



Teees, shrubs or herbs ; branches often 4-angular. Leaves entire, 

 opposite, sometimes alternate or whorled ; stipules 0. Flowers 

 usually in cymes or panicles, generally hermaphrodite, regular or 

 rarely oblique. Calyx-tuhe free, persistent ; lobes 3-6, valvate, often 

 with acces3ory teeth. Petals as many as the calyx-teeth, rarely 0, 

 inserted near the top of the calyx-tube. Stamens definite or many, 

 inserted on the calyx-tube. Ovary usually free, 2- 6 -celled ; style long, 

 stigma capitate ; ovules many, usually on axile placentas. Fruit 

 coriaceous or membranous, free or more or less adnate to the base of 

 the calyx, 2-6-celled, or by imperfection of partitions 1-celled, dehis- 

 cent or not. 6'ee.'/if many, albumen 0. — Species about 275, chiefly in 

 Trop. America, a few in temperate zones. 



Ovary superior. 

 Herbs, usually aquatic, calyx membranous . 1. Ammannia. 



Shurbs or trees, calyx herbaceous. 

 Calyx-tube curved, stamens 12 . , . %. WoODFOBDIA. 



Calyx-tube straight, stamens 8 . . .3. Lawsonia. 



Calyx-tube straight, stamens many . . 4. LAG-BRSTa(EMlA. 



Ovary inferior, stamens many . . . .5. PuNiCA, 



