Dr. M. T. MASTEKS ON SOUTH-AFUICAJV KKlSTIACJCJi:. 215 



aud sometimes three, stigmas in the section SlahcroTia, the fruit 

 is unilocular as in the other species of Tha7miocliortus. It is in 

 this genus that some of the handsomest plants of the whole order 

 are to be found. Whether the deeply winged glumes serve any 

 purpose in the dissemination of these plants, or no, I know not ; 

 still it is curious to remark that the win<? is much larirer in the 



O *- ^....v... x..x^ 



female than in the male flowers : in the latter it is rudimentary 

 merely, while in the former it is often so wide as to project 

 beyond the bracts, and to overlap or become overlapped by the 

 Avings of the adjoining florets. 



C.iJS'^"OMOIs. 



Established by Palisot de Beauvois, in 1828, upon a female 

 plant corresponding, I believe, to^the male plant called by Eott- 

 boell Mestio virgatus. 



The male plants have the inflorescence of ThamnocJioytiis or 

 Leptocarjyiis \ but the female flowers are very different. In them 

 the perianth is nearly regular, but very small, as in TVilldenovia, 

 which genus it resembles in the fruit, but differs in the absence 

 of a thickened stipes, in the presence of several rudimentary female 

 flowers, in the ^pikelet, and in other points. Nees's genus, Me- 

 mntJinSy is in no wise distinguishable from Cannomois. Cucul- 

 lifera of the same author only differs in the terminal bract of the 

 spikelet, which is more convolute than usual. 



Owing to the detachment of the vascular cord (supplying the 

 seed) from the side of the fruit, the seed in this genua often 

 has the appearance of being suspended from the end of a free 

 funiculus. 



E LEG I A. 



Founded by Linnaeus in 1771 (in his Mantissa, p. 102, Gen. 

 n. 1331), on a plant which he named H. juneca, which I believe 

 to be the same as was figured, a year or two afterwards, by 



thyrsifi 



(fi 



er. 



Bottboll's genus Chondropetaliim^ published at the same time, 

 must also cede to Linna^us's Elegia, on the ground of the priority. 



Kunth, foUowiner Thunberir, Endliclier, and Nees von Esen^ 

 beck, admits into this genus plants with an iudehiscent, triangu- 

 lar, one-celled fruit, and others with a trilocular dehiscent capsule. 

 But as the original species, just alluded to, has a unilocular iude- 

 hiscent fruit, I have thought it better to retain that as the cha- 



