35 § cli. commelinacEjE. [ Cyanotis . 
irregularly crowded in biseriate secund foliaceous falcate bracts 
(rarely in exposed racemes). Petals blue, often united in a tube 
below. Stamens 6, all perfect, usually bearded. Ovary 2-eelled, 
ovules 2 in a cell. Capsule 3-celled. Seeds 2 in a cell. Species 
about 30, tropical Asia and Africa. 
Cymes scorpioid, enclosed in biseriate imbricate bracts. 
Bracts very broad. (1) 0 . cristata 
Bracts small.(2) C. barbata 
Cymes with narrow lanceolate bracts not imbricate . . (3) C. capitata 
Cymes from the leaf sheaths axillary; bracts small . . (4) C. axillaris 
(1) C. cristata Roem. and Schultes, Syst. 7, 1150; Hook, hi 
F.B.l. vi. 385; Ridl. Mat. ii. 120. 
Tall weak herb, hairy or glabrous. Leaves oblong-lanceolate 
blunt, x to 3 in. long, edge hairy. Cymes terminal scorpioid, 1 in. 
long. Bracts falcate ovate, edge ciliate in two rows. Sepals 
lanceolate. Flowers blue. Hab. Grassy spots, not common, 
chiefly in the north. Malacca, Pulau Besar. Penang in the quarry 
(Curtis). Lankawi (Curtis). Kelantan, Gunong, Kota Bharu. 
Tringganu (Yapp). Jalor, Biserat (Gwynne Vaughan). Distrib. 
Tropical Africa, Indo-Malaya. 
(2) C. barbata Don, Prodr. 46; Ridl. Mat. ii. 121. 
Prostrate fleshy herbs, 1 ft. long, hairy. Leaves lanceolate 
oblong or linear-lanceolate, hairy, 1 in, long, -25 to -5 in. wide. 
Peduncles 1 or 2 from terminal axil. Bract usually long narrow 
recurved. Floral bracts broad, round, hairy. Sepals hairy. 
Petals pale blue. Capsxde short, broad, hairy. ‘ Hab. Sandy sea¬ 
shores. Singapore, Changi; Gelang. Pahang, Pekan; Rumpin 
River; Leban Chondong, Rumpin (Evans). Penang (Wallich). 
Distrib. India. 
(3) C. capitata Clarke, Monog. 243; Ridl. Mat. ii. 121; Joitrn. 
Roy. As. Soc. S. Br. 57, p. 69. 
Weak herb, creeping and rooting, a foot or more long. Leaves 
oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2 in. long, -5 in wide, edges hairy. Heads 
of flowers small axillary and terminal, few-flowered, -5 in. long. 
Bracts lanceolate. Flowers small, white or light mauve (Yapp). 
Sepals lanceolate hairy. Capsule oblong hairy. Hab . Grassy 
spots in and on the edge of woods. Pahang River, Pulau-Jellam. 
Selangor, Batu Caves. Perak, Temengoh (Ridley). Kelantan, 
Kwala Aring (Yapp). Distrib. Cochinchina, Java, Japan. 
(4) C. axillaris R. and Sch. Syst. 7, 1154; Hook. F.B.L vi 
388. 
A succulent red-stemmed herb, 1 to 2 ft. long. Leaves fleshy 
linear acuminate, 2 to 6 in. long, -25 to *3 in. wide, glabrous; sheaths 
short inflated. Flowers clustered in the sheaths, bright blue. 
Filaments bearded. Hab. Local in rice-fields. Perlis, Kanga. 
Kelantan, Kota Bharu (Ridley). Distrib. India, Siam, Australia. 
