14 CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [Xyris. 
minutely toothed. Arms of the staminodes very short, with brush-like 
tufts of long yellow hairs.—Thunb. Fl. Cap. ed. Schult. 81; Vahl, 
Enum. ii. 206; Willd. Sp. Pl. i. 255; Roem. & Schultes, Syst. Veg. i. 
552; Kunth, Enum. iv. 24; Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. 
Stockh. 1891, 154; and in Svensk Vet. Akad. Hand]. xxiv. no. 14, 40; 
Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 420 ; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 133 ; 
N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 6; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 68. 
X. capensis, Thunb., var. nilagirensis, Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 
154. X. reptans, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 68. 
Nile Land. Abyssinia: Begemeder; in swamps on the plain of Jan Meda, 
8700 ft., Schimper, 1519! 
Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in boggy places near the banks of the River 
Mumpulla; Welwitsch, 2473! near the chief stream of Morro de Lopol'o, Welwitsch, 
2459! 
Also in South Africa. 
Var. medullosa, N. E. Brown, Peduncle 5-7} in. long, very slender, 4-4 lin. 
thick, with a well developed pith, not in the least hollow. Spike 2 lin. long, about 
14 lin. thiek, ovoid, 2-4-flowered. Lateral sepals 13 lin. long, 3 lin. broad, oblan- 
ceolate, acute; keel neither ciliate nor scabrid. 
Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa; without precise locality, Hannington ! 
I can find no character to distinguish X. reptans, Rendle, from X. capensis, 
Thunb. The leaves are longer than usual, but in that respect it is very similar to 
Baur’s specimen (598) of X. capensis, from Bazeia, in Tembuland. A specimen 
collected by Scott-Elliot (6962) in Nandi, British East Africa, at an alt. of 7000- 
8000 ft., is probably a form of X, capensis, but the leaves appear to be more fleshy 
than usual, The plant is about 4 in. high. 
The variety medullosa may prove to be a distinct species, but (with the exception 
of the peduncle being very slender and having a very distinct pith) I can find no 
character in the dried state to distinguish it from X. capensis. All the specimens I 
have had the opportunity of examining of XY. capensis have a hollow stem. 
8. MR. nivea, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 69. Tufted, 
slightly bulbous at the base. Leaves 3—5 in. long, including the $—1 in. 
long sheath, } lin. thick, filiform-subulate, stiff, erect, flexuose, glabrous. 
Peduncular-sheath 14-1? in. long, produced into a short leaf-like point 
at the apex. Peduncle 5-10 in. long, 4-4 lin. thick, slender, wiry, 
flexuose, subterete, faintly angular, glabrous. Spike 24-3 lin. long and 
-about as thick, subglobose, few-flowered. Bracts 14-2 lin. long, 11-1? 
lin. broad, broadly elliptic or suborbicular, very obtuse, entire, coriaceous, 
with submembranous margins, 3—5-nerved, dark brown, with paler mar- 
gins, slightly shining. Lateral sepals 1? lin. long, } lin. broad, sigmoid- 
lanceolate, acute (or obtuse if flattened out); keel light brown, very 
minutely ciliate from the base to 3 the way up; interior sepal bright 
reddish-purple. Corolla-lobes obovate-elliptic, concave, finely toothed, 
“white” (Welwitsch). Staminodes pilose. Anthers 3 lin. long. 
Capsule obovate. Seeds ellipsoid, pointed, red. 
- Mower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in scarcely damp, sunny, wooded places 
between Lopollo and Monino, Welwitsch, 2468 ! 
The filiform leaves, white flowers, and minutely ciliate lateral sepals, easily distin- 
guish this species from its allies. 
