148 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY.
Normal — of the flower — Sepals in the male united into a calyx split at
the back ; in the female 3, equal and similar. Corolla of
male trumpet-shaped with 3 lobes ; of female 3 oblanceo-
late free petals. Stamens 6, anthers black. Ovary 3 celled.
Eriocaulon Linn.
Linn. Gen. Ed. II 35 (1743).
Scapigerous herbs, aquatic or on marshy, rarely dry ground. Stem usually very short and disui-form, but in some species elongate and branched. Leaves narrow. Scape slender, with 4 to 7 ribs, twisted usually, and eaclosed at the base in a sheath with oblique mouth. Flowers minute, eachj in the axil of a bract, in involucrate heads ; unisexual, nearly always monoecious ; perianth inferior. Male flower : — Sepals 2 or 3, usually, but not always, connate into a calyx split on the ad-axial side. Corolla mono-petalous, funnel-shaped ; lobes 3, small, usually ciliate and each with a large black gland. Stamens 6, attached to the corolla ; anthers black or pale yellow. Female Flower : — Sepals 2 or 3 flat, boat-shaped or crested, equal or unequal. Petals 3 to free, linear, oblanceolate or spathulate, ciliate, each with a black gland near the upper margin. Ovary three-celled ; style with 3 short branches. Carpels in fruit globose opening down the back to let out the one seed. Seeds translucent yellowish or brown, often with darker markings. Embryo minute, outside the horny endosperm.
Species about 190 in the tropics and rarely in temperate regions.
The above diagnosis is for the normal 3-merous flower. In one Indian species, the flowers may be dimerous with 4 stamens or a 2-celled ovary. But in the majority of species there are 6 stamens or a 3-celIed ovary, even though the sepals or petals may be reduced to 2 or 0.
Scheme of Sections.
[Note the female flower may have no petals in groups II, V, VI and VIII.]
A. Anthers black.
- Submerged plants with and linear leaves.
I. Setace^j. — Stems to over a foot in length. Leaves 3-6 in. Head 1/8—1/5 in.
- * Terrestial or swamp plants, or if submerged the stem not more
than an inch long. Male sepals usually but not always united
into a calyx split on the side. i Female sepals free, boat-shaped or flat, except in VII. 1 Floral bracts usually black with white hairs on the back.
Receptacle villous except in II a.
