Xyris. | CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 13: 
Pfi. Ost-Afr. C. 183; N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii.6. X. platycaulis, 
Poir. Encycl. viii. 820; Roem. & Schultes, Syst. Veg. i. 551; Kunth, 
Enum. iv. 18; Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. Stockh. 1891, 
153. X. nitida, Willd. ex Dietr. Sp. Pl. ii. 372, not of Nilsson. 
Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Mahela, in marshy ground, Scott-Elliot, 3931 ! 
Lagos, Millen, 152 of 1894 collection! Barter, 20200! Yoruba, Millson! 
Lower Guinea. Congo, Smith ! 
Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Kirk ! Hildebrandt, 1045! Bojer! German East 
Africa: Zanguebar, Kirk ! between the coast and Uyui, Taylor! Portuguese East 
Africa: Quilimane, Scott! 
Also in South Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and Tropical America, 
This species differs from all the others in its flattened 2-edged peduncles, and 
straw-coloured globose spikes. 
6. X. zombana, V. /. Br. Leaves and _peduncular-sheath 
not seen. Peduncle more than 1 ft. long, 1-14 lin. thick, terete or 
slightly compressed (flat in the dried state), hollow, with a large cavity, 
striate, glabrous. Spike 3-4 lin. (in fruit up to 6 lin.) diam., subglobose, 
many-flowered. Bracts 24-3 lin. long, 2-24 lin. broad, rather thin and 
somewhat papery in texture, elliptic-oblong, very obtuse, sometimes 
faintly keeled at the apex, concave or somewhat boat-shaped, brown, 
passing into yellowish-brown at the base, nerveless or faintly 3-nerved 
near the apex, glabrous, not ciliate. Lateral sepals 24-2? lin. long, 
2 lin. broad, boat-shaped, acute, transparent yellowish - brown; keel 
very narrowly winged, entire, not ciliate. Petals 2 lin. long, about 
14 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, slightly toothed. Arms of the stami- 
nodes about } lin. long, oblong, with a small brush-like tuft of com- 
paratively few long yellow hairs. 
Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mount Zomba, 4000— 
6000 ft., Whyte! 
The specimens are about a foot long, and consist of the upper part of the peduncles. 
with their flower-spikes only, so that the plant is probably 13-2 ft. or perhaps more 
in height. The peduncles appear to be much less rigid than those of the other 
African species, as in the process of drying they have become perfectly flat, but when 
placed in boiling water become nearly terete; they are unusually stout and have a 
very large central cavity. 
7. X. capensis, Thunb. Prodr. 12. Rhizome more or less creep- 
ing. Leaves 1-7 in. long, including the }-2} in. long sheath, }~14 lin. 
broad, linear, acute, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 1-5 in. long, acute 
or produced into a leafy point 4-6 lin. long. Peduncle 5-21 in. long, 
4_3 lin. thick, terete or slightly compressed, striate, glabrous, hollow, 
Spike 2-4 lin. long, 3-5 lin. thick, ovoid, ellipsoid or subglobose, usually 
several-flowered. Bracts 2-3 lin. long, 14-2} lin. broad, elliptic or 
orbicular, obtuse, keeled, concave, thinly coriaceous, entire, not ciliate, 
3-nerved, glabrous, blackish-brown ; nerves not reticulate at the apex. 
Lateral sepals 2-3 lin. long, 4-3 lin. broad, lanceolate, acute, boat- 
shaped, yellowish-brown, with the keel and apex darker brown; keel 
somewhat broadly winged, quite entire and not produced at the apex. 
Corolla-lobes 13-2 lin. long, about 1 lin. broad, cuneate-oblong, obtuse, 
