410 
LXXVII NYCTAGrlNACEiE 
*Oxybaphus himalaicus, Edgew.; FI. Br. Ind. iv. 708. 
Glandular-hairy ; stems 2-4 ft., ascending, branched. Leaves 
stalked, ovate, 14-2|xl-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. BOERHAAVIA. 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, 4-2 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 J 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. ILLECEBRACE^E 
A small Order, widely diffused except in cold regions, repre- 
sented in the Himalaya by a single species. — Name of doubtful 
origin. 
HERNIARIA. 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, shortty stalked, 
narrowly ovate, J in. ; 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 
