166 XVI. CAKYOPUYLLJiiiE. [Polycarpcea. 



tered in the axils, the upper ones small and distant. Stipules scarious, lan- 

 ceolate with fine points. Flowers purple, in dense terminal leafless corym- 

 bose cymes or heads, more or less pedicellate, the floral leaves all reduced to 

 scarious bracts. Sepals nearly 3 lines long, with a prominent midrib, the 

 outer ones shorter and ratlier less coloured. Petals free, about f as long as 

 the sepals, oblong-lanceolate, obtusely bifid. Stamens about as long as 

 the petals, the filaments filiform, united at the base in a ring, with as many 

 minute filiform staminodia opposite the petals. Style subulate. Capsule 

 short, globular, with few seeds. — Aylmerla violacea and A. roseUy Mart, in 

 Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. xiii. 277 ; AcJiyranthes violacea, Spreng. Syst. Cur. Post, 



102, and A. rosea, Spreng. 1. c, 103. 



W. Australia. Crokcr's Island, J. Cuuningliam; Port Essington, Armstrong. 



5. P. staminodina, Jl Mnell. in Eep, Bahb. Exp. 8. Pubescent, with 

 erect, opposite or sometimes clustered branches, I to 1 ft. high. Leaves nar- 

 row-linear or the lower ones litiear-lanceolate, flat, the larger ones | to f in., 

 with smaller ones clustered in their axils. Stipules with long subulate points. 

 Plowers larger than in P. corymlosa, in terminal cymes or heads, forming an 

 irregular general coiymb; the floral leaves all reduced to scarious bracts. 

 Sepals about 2 lines long, scarious and pubescent, white or slightly yellowish, 

 witliout any prominent midrib. Petals almost free, inserted with the stamens 

 on a thickened perigynous disk, lanceolate, entire, rather more thaii halt the 

 length of the sepals. Stamens about as long, alternating with short filiform 

 staminodia opposite the petals. Ovary short, With a rather short style. Cap- 

 sule small, sessile or shortly stipitate, with few seeds. 



rf . Australia. Sources of tlie Victoria river, Hooker's Creek and Start's Creek, "• 

 Mneller, 



Section 3. Polycahpia.— Petals and stamens free or united in a ring 

 at the base. Sepals entirely or partially scarious. 



6. P, corymbosa. Lam, Illmir, w. 2798. Minutely pubescent or rarely 

 almost glabrous, with erect, rather slender, but stiff branches, |- to 1 or even 

 li ft. high. Leaves from narrow-linear to almost subnlate, rarely linear- 

 lanceolate, flat or with revolnte margins, the longer ones | to 1 in., with small 

 ones clustered in their axils, the upper ones much smaller and often few and 

 distant. Stipules tapering to a fine point. Flowers numerous, in dense ter- 

 minal corymbose cymes, sometimes all forming one dense mass on the top of 

 an otherwise simple stem, sometimes the cymes numerous and loosely panicu- 

 late. Ploral leaves all reduced to scarious bracts. Sepals about \\ lines long, 

 white and scarious, without any prominent midrib, but tapering to a fiiie 

 point. Petals quite free, not \ line long, broadly ovate, very obtuse and rather 

 firm. Stamens often shorter. Style vciy short. Capsule ovoid or oblong, 

 much shorter than the sepals,— DC. Prod. iii. 374 ; Wi<^ht, Ic. PI. Ind- Or. 

 t. 712. ^ n > 



^ »J. Australia. N. coast, R. Brown ; Victoria river and Albany Island, F. MueUer ; 

 Lizard Island, Keppel's Island, and Port Curtis, M'Giiiivra^j, 



Tlic species is cormnon in tropical Asia and Africa, and is found also in Brazil and 

 Guiana. 



7. P. breviflora, F, MuelL in Rej), Babb. Exp. 9. Glabrous or pubes- 



