410 
LXXVIX. NYCTAGINACEiE 
*0xybaphus himalaicus, Edgew . ; FI. Br. Ind. iv. 708. Glan- 
dular-hairy ; stems 2-4 ft., ascending, branched. Leaves stalked, 
ovate, 1^-2| x 1-2 in., cordate, acute. Flowers solitary on long, 
slender, axillary stalks forming a loose panicle, each enclosed in a 
persistent, bell-shaped, 5-toothed involucre \ in. long. Perianth 
pink. Stamens 4, included. Fruit rough, black, ovoid, 5 in. 
long. 
Kulu to Garhwal, 6000-9000 ft. ; July-September. 
2. BOEKHAAVIA. In honour of Herman Boerhaave, a famous 
Dutch physician of the eighteenth century. — Nearly all warm 
regions. 
Boerhaavia repens, Linn. ; FI. Br. Ind. iv. 709. Pubescent 
or nearly glabrous ; stems 6-24 in., ascending, diffusely branched. 
Leaves stalked, one in each pair alternately smaller than the 
opposite one, ovate, J-2 in., cordate, entire or sinuate, obtuse ; 
upper surface rough, green ; lower smooth, silvery-white. Flowers 
minute, crowded in small, bracteate heads at the end of long, slender, 
axillary stalks often forming loose, terminal panicles. Perianth 
red; limb 5-lobed. Stamens 2 or 3, anthers protruding. Fruit 
^ in., 5-ribbed, viscidly glandular. (Fig. 131.) 
Valleys below Simla ; January-December. — Throughout India, ascending to 
6000 ft. — Tropical and subtropical Asia, Africa and America. 
LXXVIII. ILLECEBRACEAE 
A small Order, widely diffused except in cold regions, repre- 
sented in the Himalaya by a single species. — Name of doubtful 
origin. 
HERN I ARIA. From the Latin hernia, a rupture ; referring to 
its supposed curative properties. — W. and Central Asia, N. Africa, 
Europe (Britain). 
*Herniaria hirsuta, Linn . ; FI Br. Ind. iv. 712. A small, 
perennial, prostrate, hairy herb ; branches numerous, 2-8 in., 
spreading from the base. Leaves opposite, shortly stalked, 
narrowly ovate, to ~3 i n - > stipules scarious. Flowers minute, 
2-sexual, regular, nearly sessile in axillary clusters. Perianth 
green, hairy outside, smooth within, 5-parted ; segments ovate, 
acute, spreading. Stamens 5, opposite to and shorter than the 
perianth-lobes, alternate with 5 staminodes. Ovary free, globose, 
1-celled ; styles 2, short, diverging ; ovule solitary. Fruit an 
