FLOBA OF ADEN . 
117 
1. Polycarpaea Lam. 
Erect or diffuse dichotomous herbs. Leaves usually linear or lanceo- 
late, often fasciculate forming pseudo-verticels. Stipules scarious. 
Flowers in diffuse or compact, panicled corymbose or solitary cymes. 
Sepals 5, scarious, or rarely herbaceous and scarious on the margins only. 
Petals 5, entire, 2 -toothed or with the margins erose. Stamens 
slightly perigynous or subhypogynous, or cohering with the petals, into a 
ring or tube. Ovary 1-celled; ovules many; style elongate, 3-grooved, 
3-fid or 3 -dentate. 
Capsule 3-valved. Seeds obovoid or compressed ; embryo curved, 
rarely almost straight. 
Species about 24. 
Distribution : In tropical or warm extratropical countries. 
Sepals lanceolate, very acute. Leaves narrow-linear or linear-subulate . 1. P. corymbosa. 
Sepals ovate-lanceolate. Leaves oblaoceolate-spafchulafce, rosulate . 2. P. spicata. 
Sepals ovate-elliptical, apiculate, centre thickly herbaceous. Leaves 
linear -lanceolate, revolute, mucronate . . . . . . 3. P. fragilis. 
1. Polycarpaea corymhosa Lam. Tab. Encyc. et Method. II, (1800) 
129. 
Achyranthes corymbosa L. spec. 296. « 
Lahaya corymbosa Schult. Syst. Y, 404. 
Polycarpsea indica Lam. Journ. Hist. Nat. II, 8. 
Polycarpaea eriantha Hochst., Rich. FI. Abyss. I, 303. 
Polycarpaea fallax J. Gay, Mss. Herb. Kew. 
Polycarpasa humifusa J. Gay ibid . 
Description : An erect or decumbent annual herb, 2-3 inches to 1 foot 
high, often diffuse. Stems hoary-pubescent, repeatedly and often 
densely forked. Leaves narrow-linear or linear subulate with axillary 
tufts forming pseudo-verticels, pubescent or glabrous, much exceeding 
the lanceolate or subulate, scarious stipules, J-l inch long or longer. 
Flowers erect, in terminal dense or rather lax, silvery, many-flowered 
cymes ; pedicels hoary-pubescent ; bracts J inch long, silvery white, 
bristle-pointed. Sepals lanceolate, very acute, scarious, silvery-white or 
coloured, much exceeding the petals and capsule. Petals less than J the 
length of the sepals. 
Capsules small, shining, brown. 
Locality : Aden ( Birdw.) . 
Distribution : Tropical Asia, Africa, America and Australia. 
