270 NOTES ON THE FLORA OF CEYLON. 



" purple with white veins " ; inflorescence and fruit as in L. 

 toxicaria, 



Hab. By water, Palewatu-Mukelane, Pasdun Korle, May, 1883. 

 Leaves 12 in. long by 4 in. wide ; spathe fully 9 in. long. This 

 was brought in by the native plant-collectors already half-dried ; 

 the spathes dyed the drying-paper deep purple. Boots were also 

 brought for the garden, but have not yet flowered here. 



Near the very common L. toxicaria Dalz. (= Arum ovatuni L.), 

 but very distinct by the large purple drooping spathe ; the leaves 

 are also well characterised by the peculiar indumentum of the veins 

 beneath. This adds a fifth species to this genus, all of which are 

 natives of Ceylon, and four of them endemic here. 



Eriocaulon fluviatile Trim. — Submerged ; rhizome creeping, 

 slender, flexuous, ascending at the end, attaining several inches in 

 length, and emitting copious long roots ; leaves about 4 to 8, very 

 long (8 to 10 in.), not closely inserted, very narrow (scarcely ^\ in. 

 wide), solid, compressed (oval or section), channelled along one 

 face, flaccid, dark green, shining, gradually dilated at base into a 

 membranous sheath lined with a cottony wool ; scape solitary, 

 ai^parently terminal, rather shorter than the leaves, erect, stiff, 

 slender, cylindrical ; basal sheath about h^ in. long, loose but not 

 dilated, smooth, thin, split down one side from the top for a short 

 distance, free portion acute ; heads small (about J in. diam.), 

 depressed-globular ; involucral scales short, roundish-oval, entire, 

 very obtuse, smooth, brown, floral ones linear-oblong, with coarse 

 white hairs on the upper part ; flowers apparently dioecious, minute, 

 densely crowded on the semiglobular receptacle ; female flowers 

 with sepals and petals spathulate-linear, the latter narrower, 

 pellucid, with scanty white hairs at top ; style deeply 3-cleft ; 

 seeds smooth, pale orange ; male flowers not seen. 



Hab. Plentiful in a quick-flowing stream (the Kappara-ela) now 

 flowing into the reservoir at Labugama, West Prov., Jan. 1885; in 

 company with Mr. AV. Ferguson. The plant is entirely submerged in 

 the rapid current, only the heads of flowers being elevated above the 

 surface ; it is abundant in the smaller tributaries, as well as the 

 Kappara-ela main stream. Mr. Ferguson had previously sent me 

 specimens of this curious species collected in or near the same 

 place in 1882, on the occasion of the Elephant Kraal held there in 

 that year. I also think that specimens in the Herbarium here (of 

 leaves only) under C. P. 3057, labelled "Galle and Hewesse," may 

 be the same plant. 



The only Indian species which seems to be allied at all closely 

 to this is E. DalzeUii Koern. {E. rivulare Dalz.), from Western 

 India. But this, as described in Kew Journ. Bot. iii. p. 280, has 

 the stem densely leafy, the leaves flat, 1 line broad, 7 -nerved and 

 much shorter, the scapes umbellate-congested and only twice as 

 long as the leaves, and the involucral bracts lacerate. 



IsACHNE ATjSTRALis E. Br., var. EFFUSA Trim. — Differs from the 

 type, as seen in Ceylon, in its larger size, much broader, more 

 compound panicle 3-5 in. long, with the branches more horizontal 

 and the flowers on longer pedicels, and quite glabrous glumes. 



