368 MAYACACEAE. 
oblong, somewhat 4-sided, 2-celled. Ovary superior, sessile, 1-celled with 3 
parietal placentae; ovules several or numerous, orthotropous; style filiform; 
stigmas terminal, entire or with 3 short lobes. Capsule r1-celled, 3-valved. 
Seeds ovoid or globose, the testa reticulated; embryo at the apex of the mealy 
endosperm. 
The family consists of the following genus: 
1. MAYACA Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 42. 1775. 
Characters of the family. [Aboriginal name of these plants in Guiana. ] 
About 7 species are known, all natives of warm 
and tropical America. Only the following occurs in 
the United States. 
1. Mayaca Aubleti Michx. Mayaca. 
(Fig. 892.) 
Mayaca Aubleti Michx. F1. Bor. Am. 1: 26, 1803. 
Mayaca Michauxiti Schott & Endl. Melet. 1: 24. 1832. 
Stems tufted, 3’-15’ long, usually little 
branched. Leaves densely clothing the stem and 
widely speading, linear-lanceolate, translucent, 
2//-3// long, about %’’ wide; peduncles 2//-6’” 
long, very slender, recurved in fruit; flowers 3/’— 
4’’ broad, axillary, but borne near the ends of 
branches, lateral, rarely more than one on each 
branch; capsule oblong-oval, about as long as the 
sepals, tipped until dehiscence by the subulate 
style. 
In fresh water pools and streams, southeastern Vir- 
ginia to Florida and Texas. May-July. 
\ 
Family 12, KYRIDACEAE Lindl. Nat. Syst. Ed. 2, 388. 1836. 
YELLOW-EYED GRASS FAMILY. 
Perennial or annual tufted herbs with basal narrow equitant commonly 
2-ranked leaves, and erect simple leafless scapes. Flowers perfect, mostly yel- 
low, nearly or quite regular, solitary and sessile in the axils of coriaceous imbri- 
cated bracts (scales), forming terminal ovoid globose or cylindric heads. Sepals 
3, the two lateral ones small, keeled, persistent, the other one larger, membran- 
ous (wanting in the South American genus 4éo/boda). Corolla inferior, with 
a narrow tube and 3 spreading lobes. Stamens 3, inserted on the corolla, usually 
alternating with as many plumose or bearded staminodia. Ovary sessile, 1-celled 
or incompletely 3-celled; ovules numerous or few, on 3 parietal placentae, ortho- 
tropous; style terminal (unappendaged in \y77s, in .40/boda appendaged at the 
base), 3-branched above; stigmas apical. Fruit an oblong 3-valved capsule. 
Seed-coat longitudinally striate. Embryo apical. Endosperm mealy or some- 
what fleshy. 
Two genera, Vis L. and Abolboda H. & B., comprising some 60 species, mostly of tropical 
distribution in both the Old World and the New. 
= 
PreocyY RIES! L. Sp, Pies 1753; 
Characters of the family as given above. [Greek name for some plant with 2-edged 
leaves. | 
Besides the following species there are some 9 others in the southern United States. 
Lateral sepals wingless, the keel fringed with short hairs. 1. .V. flexuosa. 
Lateral sepals ‘winged, the keel fimbriate or lacerate. : 
Scapes not bulbous-thickened at the base; leaves flat or but slightly twisted. 
Lateral sepals about as long as the bracts, their keels lacerate. 
Head oblong, 1!+'’-3'' long; northern. 2. . montana. 
Head oval or ovoid, 3''-8'' long; southern. 
Keel of lateral sepals lacerate to below the middle. 3. X. communis. 
Keel of lacerate sepals lacerate only above the middle. 4. X. Caroliniana. 
Lateral sepals longer than the bracts, their keels long-fimbriate. 5. X. fimbriata. 
Scapes conspicuously bulbous-thickened at the base; leaves spirally twisted. 6. .Y. dora. 
