Commelina. ] cii. commelinace^e. 353 
Stamens 3. Capsule globose or oblong, *25 in. long, 1-, 2-, or 4- 
seeded. Seed sub-globose, smooth truncate at both ends, terminated 
by a white appendage. Hab. Sandy sea-shores. Singapore, 
Changi; Galang; Tanjong Kling, common here (Ridley). Distrib, 
Ceylon. 
“ (s) C. salicifolia Roxb. FI. Ind. i. 172; Clarke in Hook. fil. 
F.B.I. vi. 370. 
Slender diffuse plant. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 3 to 6 in. long, 
•12 to '5 in. wide, nearly glabrous. Spathes 1*5 to 2 in. long, axillary, 
solitary, acute or acuminate, base round, lanceolate. Flowers 
small, dark blue. Capsule 5-seeded. Seeds globose, smooth, 
truncate. Hab. Abandoned rice-fields. Perlis, Kanga (Ridley). 
Distrib. India, Java. 
(6) C. benghalensis Linn. Sp. PI. 41; Ridl. Mat. ii. 116. 
Low creeping plant, or ascending to 1 ft. tall, hairy or glabrous. 
Leaves elliptic-ovate, pubescent, 1 to 3 in. long, -5 to 1 in. wide; 
petioles -25 in. long. Spathes 1 to 3, turbinate, -5 in. long. Petals 
2, spathulate round, one small ovate, violet blue. Stamens 4, 
violet. Seeds closely pitted. Hab. Common in waste and cultivated 
ground. Singapore, Galang; Tanglin. Malacca, Ayer Moley; 
Malacca town. Sungei Ujong (Cantley). Tringganu (Yapp), 
Setul. Kelantan, Kota Bharu. Distrib. Tropical Africa and Asia. 
Native name : Rumput Mayiam. 
(7) C. clavata Clarke Comm, and Cyrt. Beng. t. 5; Monog. 
171. 
Stem creeping. Leaves lanceolate acuminate, 2 in. long, -3 
in. wide; sheaths *5 to *6 in. long, mouth ciliate. Spathe lanceolate 
acuminate, 75 in. long, margins free to base; peduncle slender, 
■5 in. long. Flowers several; pedicels slender. Petals much larger 
than those of C. nudiflora, and deep blue. Capsule oblong quadrate, 
•14 in. long, bi-locular, 4-seeded. Seeds oblong, conspicuously 
reticulate. Hab. Damp spots in open country. Selangor near 
Batu Caves. Perak, Ulu Selama (Yapp). Distrib. India, Java. 
Sumatra. 
Clarke suggests this is a variety of C. nudiflora in which one cell of the 
capsule is empty or obsolete. The plant which I take to be his C. clavata 
has much larger and deeper blue petals, and the leaves and spathe are more 
acuminate. 
(8) C. suffruticosa Bl. Enum. 3; Clarke Comm, and Cyrt. 
Beng. 12; Monog. 188, t. 2, Fig. 5; Hook fil. F.B.I. vi. 374. 
Stems from a short rhizome, erect, branched, stout or slender, 
1 ft. tall, with distant tubular sheaths. Leaves sub-terminal, 
ovate-lanceolate acuminate, base narrowed sessile, scabrid pubescent, 
3 in. long, 1 in. wide; sheaths -5 in. long, hairy near the mouth. 
Spathes shortly peduncled, ovate-cordate, 75 in. long. Raceme 
simple. Flowers 6 to 12, blue or white. Capsule bilobed, 2-celled, 
obovate, *25 in. long, pedicelled. Seed one in each cell, ellipsoid, 
Fl.M.P., 4. A A 
