A. RADCLIFFE-SMITH

A small or robust annual or woody herb or rarely subshrub up to 2.5 m, but comonly much less. Stems sparingly to evenly crisped-puberulous or tomenlose. Leaves mosaically arranged. Petioles 2-7 (-12) cm long. Leaf-blade ovate, rhombic-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-6 (-9) x 1-5 cm, acute or subacute, cuneate, crenate-serrate, 5-nerved from the base, sparingly puberulous along the midrib and main nerves above and beneath, otherwise glabrous or almost so. Stipules subulate-filiform, 2 mm long. Inflorescences all axillary, pedunculate, androgynous, spicate, up to 10 cm long but more usually c.5 cm long, the lower ¾ ♀ and lax, the upper ¼ ♂ and dense, often terminated by an allomorphic ♀ flower on a long pedicel. ♀ bracts transversely ovate, dentate or serrate, accrescent to 1 x 1.5 cm, many-ribbed, puberulous along the ribs and usually otherwise ± glabrous, 3-5-flowered. Male flowers subsessile; buds granulate. Female flowers sessile; sepals triangular-ovate, 1 mm long, ciliate; ovary subtrilobate, 0.5 mm diam., tuberculate, pubescent; styles 2 mm long, laciniate, white. Allomorphic ♀ flowers obovoid, furnished with 2 lateral fimbriate tubes, pubescent. Fruits trilobate, 2 mm diam, verrucose at the apex, otherwise smooth, sparingly pubescent. Seeds ovoid, 1.3 mm long, ± smooth, grey, with a whitish hilum.

Lectotype: Sri Lanka, Hermann Herbarium, Vol. III, p. 2 (BM).

Distribution: Central & East Tropical Africa, Tropical Arabia, Madagascar, Mascarenes, India, Sri Lanka, S.E. Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, Formosa (Tai-wan), Ryu Kyu Is.

Introduced into Hawaii & Tropical America. Only in the extreme S. of Pakistan.