160
ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY.
necessity of referring, having already exceeded my space here. The species figured, is a Ceylon plant, first discovered and named by Mr. Moon : Colonel and Mrs. Walker afterwards found it, and for the figure, I am indebted to the kindness of that accomplished lady.
IMPATIENS.
§. Leaves alternate, pedicels axillary, solitary, or aggregated, one Jloicered.
I. repens, (Moon's Catal.) diffuse, procumbent, leaves alternate, suborbicular-cordate, hairy, pedicels axillary, longer than the leaves, flowers large, (yellow) upper sepals orbicular, lower cuculate ending in a thick short spur, tumid at the apex, lateral petals deeply 2-lobed, lobes irregular, the upper ones larger, ovary hairy.
In shady vegetable soil, Four Korles. Moon.
Munronii, (R. W.) Erect, sparingly ramous, leaves crowded towards the summit, ovate, slightly serrated, acute, hairy on b th sides, pedicels axillary, solitary, one (always ?) flowered, furnished near the base with a bractea, longer than the leaves : lateral sepals ovate, toothed at the apex, posterior ones concave, helmet- shaped, and furnished with a foliaceous crest, lower one conical, terminating in a long hooked spur, lower lobes of the petals twice the size of the upper ones.
Neilgherries on moist rocks by the road side near Sis- para. Munro and Gough.
The affinities of this species are clearly with my I. auriculata and /. viridiflora, but it certainly differs from both. The bractea near the base of the petiol seems to indicate that the peduncles are occasionally
and perhaps often 2-flowered, when exposed to much moisture and growing luxuriantly.
§. Leaves alternate, peduncles many flowered.
I. Goughii, (R. W.) Erect, ramous, every where glabrous, leaves ovale, serrated, short petioled, aggre- gated towards the summit of the branches, peduncles filiform, axillary, umbellately, 4-6 fl- wered, often three or four times the length of the leaf, viscid, flowers small, lateral sepals minute, subulate, superior ones broad, obcordate mucronate, lower, much shorter than the petals, acute, spur shorter than the flowers, coni- cal, slightly incurved — anterior lobes of the petals much larger than the posterior, capsules glabrous.
Neilgherries on damp rocks by Pekarra river. Gough.
The present species is evidently intermediate be- tween /. uncinata and I. campanulata, having a shorter spur than the former, and longer than the latter, but judging from the specimens is much smaller than either. This however is a mark of no value, as the same species in some situations may be quite diminu- tive, while in others it attains a great size.
I have dedicated these the only new species yet re- ceived from the Hills to the two young Botanists who, in company, explored much of them that had not pre- viously been examined.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 61.
1. Upper sepal front and side views, 4. Ovary and stamens.
2- 2. Anterior sepal with its spur. 5. Stamens removed.
3- 3-3. Petals different views. 6. Ovary and style,
XLV.-OXALIDEAE.
This is the last of the Indian group of families which appertain to the class Geranioidecr, a group the members of which, when superficially viewed, seem to be most heterogynious and ill assorted, but which, when more closely scrutinized are found connected in so many import- ant points and to glide into each other by such insensible gradations, that it becomes difficult to find good ordinal characters by which to keep them distinct. The whole are marked by the predominance of the quinary proportion of parts, 5 sepals and petals ; 5-10 rarely 15, usually monadelphous, stamens ; 5 styles, and 5 cells to the ovary, with usually few superposed ovules ; 5 membranaceous 2-valved carpels, cohering round a central persistent column ;exarillate, and with the exception of Oxalidece, exalbuminous seed. Thus intimately united, the ordinal char- acters are taken from peculiarities of less importance, but yet of so obvious a character that it seems well to preserve the distinctions which have been introduced and found useful in practice.
This order though abounding in species has but few (3) genera, and these, with the excep- tion of Oxalis have exceedingly few species, J 54, out of 158 enumerated by DeCandolle in the order, belonging to that genus. Some additions have since been made but I believe very few. They most abound in America and the Cape of Good Hope. -In India the species are few, but present a great contrast in their forms — two out of about 6 or 8 Indian species being considerable trees, while all the rest are small herbaceous plants, mere weeds.
" Sepals 5, equal, sometimes cohering at the base, persistent ; aestivation imbricative. Petals 5, hypogynous, equal, unguiculate : aestivation twisted. Slamens 10, hypogynous, more or less monadelphous : those opposite the petals longer than the others : anthers erect, bilo- cular. Ovarium 5-angled, 5-celled: ovules solitary, or several in each cell : styles 5, filiform : stigmas capitate, or slightly bifid. Placentae in the axis. Fruit rarely baccate : usually cap- sular, membranous, 5-celled, and 5-10 valved. Seeds 1, or several in each cell: testa fleshy,
