Chamabainia (R . W .)
Gen. Char. Monascious. Male calyx 4-cleft,
lobes all equal. Stamens 4, indexed in aestivation,
rudimentary ovary clavate. Female: two or three
sessile flowers aggregated on the axil or within a
bract. Sepals two, minute. Style very short; stigma
somewhat capitate, penicillate. A acbenium ovate.
A low, herbaceous, ramous, diffuse, creeping plant,
rooting at the joints, branches ascending: stipules 4
large scariose at each jo in t: leaves opposite, petioled,
ovate, acute, serrated, 3-nerved, pilose on both sides:
flowers axillary, fascicled; males and females mixed:
males pedicelled, calyx deeply 4-cleft, lobes furnished
a t the apex with a bristly tooth-like appendage: stamens
nearly twice the length of the c a lyx: rudimentary
pistil clavate: female flowers in the same axils
numerous, sessile, very minute, compactly aggregated
in fascicles of two or more flowers embraced by a
broad ovate, delicately membranous bract.
This part of the structure is not shown in the accompanying
analyses where at fig. 5, a single flower
is shown in place of several to the bract. In other
respects the analyses are generally correct, with the
exception of the short style and stigma, which is imperfectly
represented. The genus is named with reference
to its procumbent rooting habit—earthloving.
1981. Chamabainia cuspidata (R. W .), Neil-
gherries, in moist woods and in low wet ground near
streams, &c.
1982. F orskolia 'URticoides (R . W .), procumbent,
ramous, rooting below, branches ascending, slender,
diffuse: leaves opposite, petioled, ovate or sub-
cordate, serrated, pilose on both sides, but especially
on the nerves beneath : involucres axillary, campan-
ulate, 5-toothed, -4-flowered, 3 pedicelled male, and
1 sessile female: male calyx 2-lobed with 1 stamen,
female tubular*, enclosing the ovary, 5-toothed:
style long, stigma villous, pointed: achenium ovate,
glabrous.
Neilgherries, in damp shady woods about Ootaca-
mund. .4.
This, I believe, is the only Indian species yet discovered
of this genus. F. tenacessima is found in
Scinde, for specimens of which I am indebted to the
kindness of Dr. Stocks.
1983. E latostema cuspidata (R. W.), dioicous,
herbaceous, erect, sparingly branched: leaves sub-
sessile, alternate, very unequal-sided, cuspidately
acuminate, coai*sely serrated; sprinkled with a few
bristly hairs and closely lineolate above, pubescent
on the nerves beneath: receptacles axillary, sessile,
oval, peltate; furnished on the margin with some
tooth-like appendages : some males, mixed with the
female flowers, longer pedicelled; ovary ovate, base
embraced by the 3-lobed calyx: style none, stigma
pennicillate: seed ovate pericarp papery, splitting
into two halves when pressed: embryo exalbumi-
nous, radicle superior. (In figs. 5 and 7, of the plate,
the artist has accidentally inverted the seed, representing
the embryo pointing to the base.)
Neilgherries, in thick woods on the banks of
streams and other moist ground.
In this plate the female plant only is represented;
the male flowers shown, being imperfect ones, found
mixed in the female receptacles. In the male plant
the leaves are somewhat narrower, and not so deeply
serrated.
1984. E latostema lineolata (R. W.), dioicous,
herbaceous or suffruticose, erect, ramous, glabrous
: leaves sessile, alternate, unequal-sided, abruptly
acuminate, with a few serratures on the convex edge,
coriaceous; glabrous on both sides: marked above
with numerous thick white lineols: pellucid dotted:
male: receptacles deeply 2-lobed, membranous: flowers
numerous, each at first embraced by a membranous
involucre, afterwards by the elongation of
thé pedicel, exserted; calyx 4-parted: stamens 4,
involute in aestivation.
Neilgherries, Malabar, Canara, Ceylon, &c.
Though I have specimens from all the above stations,
they are all males. The drawing was made
nearly 10 years ago at Ootacamund and had I then
had leisure to study the order, would doubtless have,
before tins time, found the female plant, but not
having had that leisure, I all along supposed the
drawing complete and did not discover its imperfection
until the impression had been struck off. I hope
to be able to remedy the imperfections of this and
its two fellows in a subsequent plate. The three
drawings were all made about the same time, and all
similarly imperfect as representing only one sex.
1985. E latostema ovata (R. W.), herbaceous,
dioicous or polygamous, ere c t; sparingly branched:
leaves opposite, unequal-sized, ovate, acute, serrated,
short petioled, pubescent, and sprinkled with stronger
bristles above; glabrous, except on the veins, beneath
; 3-nerved, the lateral pair very slender: receptacles
axillary, pedicelled, fleshy: fructiferous flowers
short pedicelled (mixed with numereous longer pedicelled
imperfect ones), calyx 4-cleft; imperfect ones,
calyx 4-parted; lobes cuspidate: male plant like the
female, but larger, receptacles like those of the female
except the total absence of female flowers.
Neilgherries, in wet soil, frequent in the woods about
Ootacamund. Plant from 6 to 8 inches high, leaves
froip 1 to 1 £ inch long, the larger ones about an inch
broad, peduncles from £ to 1 inch long, slender.
This and Elatostema oppositifolia, Daizell (Hooker’s
Jour. 3, p. 179), are referable to the same section
of the genus, but seem very distinct plants. They
differ so much in habit from the preceding species
that I almost doubt whether, on a complete revision
of the order, they will be permitted to remain in the
same genus. The male flowers of E . lineolata, with
their conspicuous involucell and membranous involucre
seem very distinct. I, however, with my present
imperfect information cannot venture on any
alterations.
1986. A spidopteris glomerata (R . W .), shrubby,
climbing, glabrous : leaves coriaceous, short petioled,
broad elliptic, sub-acute at both ends, slightly un-
' equal-sided, faintly triple-nerved, quite entire: flowers
glomerate, axillary or on the ends of rudimentary
branches; glomerules short, clothed with tawny pubescence
: pedicels slender, about the length of the pe-
tiols: calyx lobes oval, obtuse, sparingly ciliate, about
£ the length of the linear sub-obovate obtuse, peta ls:
petals slightly pubescent within, about the length of
the stamens.
Courtallum, Malabar, Mysore.
This species seems nearly allied to Mr. Dalzell’s
A . canarensis if indeed it be not a form of that veiy
plant, but as it is said to have the flowers in simple
racemes, and as I have specimens of this plant from