260 CLIV. ERIOCAULEZ (BROWN). [ Mesanthemum. 
2. MESANTHEMUM, Koernicke; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. 
Pia, 1021, 
Sepals 3, free, or shortly connate at the base in the male flowers, 
hyaline. Petals united into a tube, entire and funnel-shaped in the 
male flowers, cylindric and divided at the base into 3 claws in the female 
flowers, subtruncate or shortly 3-lobed at the apex, with 8 glands on 
the inside near the top of the tube. Stamens 6, in two alternating 
series, included within the tube. Ovary 3-celled; style 3-branched; 
branches simple and filiform, without alternating appendages.—Marsh 
herbs, stemless or with a more or less elongating and rooting stem or 
rhizome. Leaves broadly linear, in a dense tuft. Peduncles 1-headed, 
longer than the leaves. Heads monecious, with a campanulate inve- 
lucre, flat-topped or perhaps at length convex. Flowering-bracts with 
a capillary stalk and a clavate head. Other characters as for the 
Order. 
Species 4, the following, and 2 others that are natives of Madagascar. 
Inner involucral-scales 1-14 lin. longer than the outer ; 
heads of the flowering-bracts obtuse, pubescent . 1. M. radicans. 
Inner involucral-scales 2-3 lin. longer than the 
outer; heads of the flowering-bracts acute, 
glabrous . A : : : ; s . 2. M. prescottianum. 
1. M. radicans, Koernicke in Linnea, xxvii. 573. Rootstock stout. 
Leaves 3-16 in. long, 2-6 lin. broad, linear, tapering to an obtuse or 
acute point, softly pubescent or glabrous on both sides. Peduncles 
1-2} ft. long, nearly 1 lin. thick, terete, striate, more or less pubescent ; 
their basal sheaths 8—9 in. long, acute, with a very oblique mouth 14 in. 
long, softly pubescent. Heads 5-7 lin. in diam., flat-topped, moncecious, 
the outer flowers female, the inner male. Involucre campanulate, its 
outer scales about 2 lin. long and 2 lin. broad, broadly ovate, obtuse, 
the inner about 3 lin. long and 14 lin. broad, oblong, obtuse, slightly 
radiating, all rigid, whitish-brown or light ochraceous, more or less 
pubescent. Receptacle flat, covered with long soft dark grey hairs. 
Flowering-bracts, 2 lin. long, with a very fine capillary stalk and a 
clavate obtuse head, covered with short hairs, white. Female flowers 
usually pedicellate. Sepals 3-1 lin. long, scarcely } lin. broad, oblong, 
truncate, denticulate and sometimes ciliate at the apex, very concave, 
hyaline, white. No stipes between the sepals and petals. Petals 
14-1? lin. long, connate above into a cylindric tube, free below, hairy 
on the outside and within above the base, ciliate at the slightly trifid 
apex, whitish, with 3 linear brownish glands near the top of the tube 
within. Ovary acutely triquetrous, glabrous ; style long, with 3 filiform 
branches. Male flowers pedicellate. Sepals 3, free, 14-1} lin. long, 
3 lin. broad, as long as or longer than the corolla, oblong, obtuse OF 
subtruncate, shortly ciliate at the apex, hyaline, whitish. Stipes 
between the calyx and corolla about 1 lin. long. Corolla ? lin. long; 
tubular, subtruncate or obscurely trifid, ciliate at the apex, glabrous OP 
the outside, white, with 3 minute linear glands on the middle of the 
