470 LXIV* ASCLEPIADACE.E [G^jmnema 



the "Western Peninsula. China. Philippine islands. Nearly glabrous, 1. membrancnis, 

 ovate, acuminate, blade 4-6, pet. 1-1 J in. long. Fi. yelIo"v\ isli-wliite, corolla \ in. long, 

 follicles mostly single, 4 by 1 in. 7. G. montanum, Hook. f. — Syn. fi, fingens, Yawovali- 

 JoUa^ Wight Ic. t. 592. W^estern G-hats from the Konkan southwards. Similar to 6, 

 1. thinly coriaceous, ovate-oblong, corolla J in. long. 



Sarcolotous globosus, Wall. Tidal waters? of Bengal (Baoli-Iota) and the Burma coast. 

 Malay Penins. A glabrous twining shrub, 1. membranous, elliptic, blade 3-5, pet. 

 l-l in. PL in axillary or interpetiolar corymbiform cymes, corolla rotate, l-] in. 

 across, white outside, hairy and pale purple within, staminal-column orange, corona 0. 

 Pollicle globose, one follicle only by abortion, 4 in. diam., seeds oo imbricate broadly 

 ovate, J-l in. long, flat \^ith a thick raised border, without a coma. 2. S. carinatus, 

 W^all. Tidal rivers m Bengal and Burma. Coast of the Andamans. L. elliptic-lanceo- 

 late, corolla glabrous inside, follicle one, ellipsoid, 3 in. long, curved, beaked. 



Pergulatia pallida, Wight et Arn. : Wight Ic. t. 585. Subhimalayan tract and outer 

 hills, from the Punjab eastwards, ascending to 4,000 ft. Plains of Northern India and 

 Bengal. Dry region of the Irawadi valley. Deccan, in scrub jungle and on stoiiv 

 hills. A large twining shrub, bark of old stems coi-kj", branchlets and 1. while young 

 pubescent with slightly curved hairs. L. membranous, ovate, base often cordate, 

 blade 2-4, pet. l-l| in. long. PL yellowish-white, nearly scentless, corolla salver- 

 shaped, I in. across, tube I in. long, as long as sepals, lobes linear, as long as or longer 

 than tube. Corona-scales erect, membranous, connivent over the aj^ex of the style. 

 Follicles 3-4 in. long. Two kinds with very fragrant fl. cultivated in gardens under 

 the name of Cowslip- or West Coast-Cx'eeper. 2. P. odoratissima, Smith, and 3. P. 

 minor, Andrews; Weight Ic. t. 414, corolla-lobes broad, shorter than the tube, which is 

 pubescent within, are closely allied to P. pallida, and possibly not speciiically distinct. 



5. MARSDENIA, E. Br. ; M. Brit. Ind. iv. 34. 



Twining, rarely erect shrubs. Fl. middle-sized , in some species small. 

 Corona-scales adnate to the back of the staminal-tube. Pollen-masses 20, 

 erect. Species 60-70, tropical and subtropicaL 



A. Corona-scales longer than, as long as or a little shorter than staminal- 

 tube. 



(a) Corolla J in. or more long. 



a. Style-table sbort, conical, ]. pubescent or tomentose. 



1. M. tenacissima, Wight & Arn. : Wight Ic. t. 590.— Syn. Asdepias 

 tenacissima, Eoxb. Cor. PL t. 240. Vern. Jiti, Mama Bel, Hind. 



A large twining shrnb, bark grey, corky, deeply furrowed on old stems, 

 branchlets, 1. and inflorescence softly tomentose. L. cordate, acuminate, blade 

 4-6, pet. 2-4 in. long, basal nerves 3-5. PL greenish-yellow, on slender 

 pedicels somewhat longer than fl., in dense interpetiolar drooping peduncu- 

 late compound cymes. Calyx and corolla hairy outside ; corolla | in. long, 

 lobes as long as or longer than tube, glabrous within. Corona-scales lanceo- 

 late, as long as stamens. Follicles downy, ovate-lanceolate, 3-6 in. long, seeds 

 flat h in. long. 



]S!'orth-west Himalaya, foot of hills and outer valleys, ascending to 4,500 ft. 

 Oudh T'orests. Behar, Chittagong. Upper Burma. Fl. April, May. Ceylon. The 

 bast of vigorous shoots yields a very strong beautiful fine silky fibre. 2. M. Roylei» 

 "Wight 5 Collett Simla Fl. 318, fig. 99. Salt range. Himalaya from the foot to 7,000 ft., 

 Bashahr to Sikkim. FL pale orange, in compact shortly peduncled axillary cymes, 

 corolla-lobes as long as tube, hirsute in and outside, corona-scales subulate, much 

 longer than staminal-column, follicles turgid, deeply wrinkled, beaked, 3 in. long. 3. 

 M. HamiltOBii, Wight. Foot of Korth-west Himalaya, A twining undershrub, 

 bringing forth, after the annual fires, L- and fl.-bearing shoots from a thick woody 

 iootstock. 



13. Style-table short, conical, L glabrons or nearly so. 



4. M. Bninoniana, Wight et Arn. 5 Wight Ic. t. 856. Coromandel coast. L. mem- 

 branous, ovate, base often cordate, blade 4-5, pet. 2 in. long. Corolla glabrous within 

 and without, J in. long, tube broadly cylindric, lobes equal to tube, corona-lobes obtuse, 

 as long as staminal-tube. 5. M. JeDMEsii, Hook f. Assam. Branches stout, 1. coria- 

 ceous, broadly elliptic, cuspidate, blade 7-10, pet. 2-3 in., sec. n. 6-8 pair, prominent. 



