346 
FLORA OF ADM. 
bisexual, more or less irregular. Perianth inferior, 6-partite ; 3 outer 
segments herbaceous, often persistent, 3 inner petaloid, free or united 
in a tube below, marcescent, spreading. Stamens 6, inserted on the 
base of the segments, all antheriferous or 2 or more reduced to 
staminodes ; filaments often bearded with jointed hairs ; anthers oblong 
or globose, often dissimilar. Ovary free, 2 — 3-celied ; style terminal ; 
stigma small ; ovules 1 or few in the inner angle of the cells, ortho- 
tropous. Capsule loculicidal or indehiscent. Seeds angled, testa smooth 
or rugose, albumen flowery ; embryo minute, far from the hilum. 
Genera 25 ; species about 300. 
Distribution : — Tropical and subtropical. 
Commelina Linn. 
Herbs, usually slender and creeping below. 
Flowers in usually 2-fid cymes, emerging one at a time from a 
terminal complicate or funnel-shaped or cucullate spathe, flowers of 
upper branch of cyme small, deciduous, of lower fertile ; fruiting pedicel 
and capsule retracted within the spathe. Sepals 3, membranous, 2 inner 
often connate at the base. Petals longer, one larger and often clawed* 
Stamens 3, perfect, and 2-3 imperfect ; anthers oblong, one usually 
largest. Ovary 3-, rarely 2-celled, 2 cells 1 — 2-ovuled, third cell if 
present 1-ovuled or empty. 
Capsule loculicidal, the posticous cell sometimes indehiscent or 0, nr 
the 2 anticous cells empty connate indehiscent and forming a persistent 
ligulate body, from which the posticous falls away ; seeds ellipsoid or 
angled, reticulate pitted or rugose. 
Species about 90. 
Distribution -All tropical and subtropical. 
1. Commelina albescens Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. FI. Aethiop- 
p. 200 ; Clarke Monogr. 184 ; Hook. FI. Brit. Ind. VI, 373. 
Commelina striata Wall. Cat. 8981 (in part). 
Commelina Schimperiana Hochst. in Schimp. Herb. n. 1242. 
Commelina multicaulis Hochst. ibid. n. 2268. 
Description : — Root-fibres thick ; stems thickened at the base, often 
2 or more from the root, elothed below with many white membranous 
sheaths, glabrous. Leaves 2-3 by inch, linear or linear-lanceolate, 
acute, glabrous, the margins often undulate. Spathes J-f inch long 
and sometimes nearly as broad as long, 1-3 together, sub sessile, glabrous 
or nearly so, finely striate, cucullate, falcately hooked at one end, auricled 
at the other. 
