Xyris. CLVIII. XYRIDACE^. 563 



1. C. ANGUSTiFOLiA. Michx."? (C. crccta. Wllld.) Day Flower. 



St. assiirgent, branching, snbgeniculate ; lis. lanceolate, subpetiolate, 

 sheaths split to the base; spathe broad-cordate, distinct and open at base, en- 

 folding 2 peduncles and several flowers; pedicels contorted; pet. unequal, the 

 lower one much smaller, unguiculate ; sta. 2, perfect.— Dry soils, Middle! 

 Southern and Western States ! Plant nearly smooth, 12—18' high, glabrous. 

 Leaves 3 — 5' by 8 — 14", varying from lance-linear to lance-ovate. Spathe 

 veiny, 3— 5-flowered. Petals deep blue. July, Aug. 



2. C. ViRGiNiCA. Linn. 1 (C. longifolia. Michx.) 



St. erect, branched at base, ciliate-pubescent; Ivs. lanceolate, subpetiolate, 

 sheaths entire, elongated, ciliate-pilose ; bracts deltoid-falcate, united and entire 

 at base as if peltate, about 2-flowered ; pet. nearly equal ; sta. 3, perfect. — Rocky 

 woods, thickets, Penn. {Mulil.) Harper's Ferry ! to Ga. A more slender, but 

 erect species, 1 — 2f high. Leaves 3— 'S' by 6 — 12", usually narrow-lanceolate, 

 pilose-scabrous, the sheaths near 1' long. Spathe broadly funnel-shaped. Pe- 

 tals blue. July, Aug. — Neither of these plants agrees with the descriptions in 

 the books. 



2. TRADESCANTIA. 



Named in honor of John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I. 



Sepals persistent ; petals large, suborbicular, spreading ; filaments 

 clothed with jointed hairs ; anthers reniform. — % Fls. m terminal^ 

 close umbels, subtended by 2 or 3 long^ ^^nfy bracts. 



1. T. ViRGiNiCA. Spider-wort. 



St. erect, simple or branched ; Ivs. lance-linear, channeled above, sessile, 

 glabrous ;/5. in a terminal, .subumbellate cluster, pedicels finally elongated and 

 reflexed; cal. pubescent. — Moist meadows, prairies, &c., Middle ! and Western 

 States! common. Stem thick, round, jointed, 2 — 3f high. Leaves numerous, 

 subpilose, 12 — 18' by 6 — 12", the bracts similar. Petals large, suborbicular, 

 of a deep, rich blue, soon fading. May — Aug. — The juice of the plant is viscid 

 and spins into thread; hence the common name. 



/?. ■? (T. subaspera. Sims.?") Lvs. lanceolate, narrowed to the base, pilose 

 both sides, sheaths entire, ciliate with long, white hairs ; uvibels both axillary 

 and terminal ; fls. small, rose-colored. — Shady river banks, la. ! 



2. T. ROSEA. Michx. 



St. erect, simple ; lvs. linear, glabrous, channeled, amplexicaul ; ped. 

 elongated ; cal. glabrous. — Penn. to Ga., in moist woods. Stem 8 — 12' high. 

 Leaves 6 — 8' by 2 — 3'. Umbel terminal, subtended by 2 or 3 subulate bracts. 

 Pedicels nearly 1' long. Flowers much smaller than in the preceding species. 

 Petals rose-colored, twice longer than the smooth calyx. May. 



Order CLVIII. XYRIDACE^.— Xyrids. 



Herts, sedffe-like, with linear or ensiform leaves. Fls. capitate at the top of a simple scape. 



Perianth 6-partea, in 2 series, sepals 3, glumaceous, petals 3, uneniculate. [ments. 



Uta. 6, 3 of them with extrorse anthers and inserted on the claw of the petals, the other 3 abortive fila- 



Oi'O. sinele. SYi/?e trifid. S^ig'OT^.s obtuse, lobed. 



fV— Capsule 3-valved, 1 celled, with parietal placentae, or 3-celled. 



Seeds numerous, albuminous. 



Genera 5, species 70, natives of tropical Asia, Africa and America, a few species of Xjns extending 

 into the United States. Of no important use. 



XYRIS. 



Gr. .|t)f)o;, acute-pointed ; in allusion to the form of the leaves. 



Heads of flowers ovoid-cylindric ; sepals cartilaginous ; petals 

 equal, ovate, crenate, with narrow claws as long as the sepals ; cap- 

 sule 1-celled, with parietal placentae. — Lvs. narrowly linear., rigid., 

 radical., sheathing the base of the scape. Fls. in a terminal., dense head., 

 petals yelloio. 



1. X. Caroliniana. Lam. (X. Jupacai. Mx. X. flexuosa. EU.) Yel- 

 low-eyed Grass. — Scape slender, compressed and ancipitous above ; lvs. 

 48 



