1. Eriocaulon.] 140. ERIOCATJLACEM. 



shining. Recept. conical or columnar, villous. Bracts all mem- 

 branous or scarious, involucral glabrous obtuse, floral glabrous or 

 nearly so (minutely scabrid), densely imbricate, cuneate-obovate 

 sharply cuspidate or sub-aristate. Male sepals 2, fimbriate or glab- 

 rous at tip, pet. minute or 0, st. C. Fern. sep. 3, slender, caducous; 

 petals filiform to oblanceolate, glabrous or ciliolate. Seeds yellow, 

 transversely lineolate. 



Sirgiija, Clarke ! Probably also in the Northern Area. FL, Fr, Oct.-N'ov. 

 An easily recognized species from the glabrous heads with sub-aristate floral 

 bracts. 



8. E. truncatum. Ham. 



Small 2-5-7" high with leaves •7-2-5" long tapering from base to 

 apex, closely striate. Peduncles many, rather stout. Heads small 

 •15-- 2" diam. or attaining -3" diam. very depressed and always much 

 broader than long with glabrous membranous shining broadly lan- 

 ceolate or cuneate involucral bracts reaching to the top. Receptacle 

 glabrous, narrow. Fl. bracts obovoid scarious almost truncate to 

 acute, incurved and imbricate, glabrous. M. fl. with free or connate 

 sepals and minute ciliate petals. Fern. fl. sepals 3 or 2, linear to linear- 

 lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, flat or boat-shaped, petals 3 

 linear or filiform, ciliate. Seeds pale-yellow, ribbed, ribs papillose. 



Monghyr, Bam. ! This is the type {Wall. No. 6076). Fl. Jime. 



I have been unable to examine the type except superficially, but I see that T 

 noted the involucral bracts as obtuse and the floral bracts as acute, whereas the 

 F.B.I, says " floral bracts obovoid, tip concave truncately rounded." The species 

 is easily recognized by the very- depressed heads and glabrous or nearly glabrous 

 receptacle and bracts. 



9. E. xeranthemum, Mart. Syn. E. xeranthemoides, He^irck. 



A minute herb • 7-3" high with comparatively broad leaves - 3-1 • 3" 

 long, -05- -2" in breadth, many-nerved, subulate-acuminate. Sheaths 

 of peduncle inflated. Peduncle stout striate. Heads very charac- 

 teristic from the involucre of about 6 suberect, ultimately stellately 

 spreading, lanceolate acute scarious pale shining outer bracts -15-- 2" 

 long, far exceeding the rest of the head. Floral bracts less than half 

 length of involucre subquadrate, obovate rounded or truncate with 

 hirsute tips. Receptacle globose, glabrous or hairy {xeranthemoides). 

 Fls. subsessile, M. sepals 3 free or somewhat connate, petals minute 

 or 0. Fem. sepals narroAvly oblanceolate 3 equal or third capillary 

 or 0. Seeds linear-oblong, pale yellow, papillose all over. 



Chota Xagimr, F.B.I, and Bena. pi.^ but the only specimens seen from our 

 area are those now referred to Edivurdii or achiton. 



The type is Wullkh's 60S1 from Nepal and Silhet. The outer invol. bracts are 

 •15" long subacuminate. outermost floral similar but much shorter and other 

 floral quite different. The drawings show 2 female sepals, 3 oblanceolate hairy 

 black-glandular petals, clavate male flower with 3 hairy-tipped rounded oblan- 

 ceolate sepals. 



10. E. achiton, Koem. 



A very small species 1-4" high with subulate or ensiform leaves 

 -2-- 7" long, delicately 3-5-nerved and with cross-nervules (fenestrate), 

 base dilated scarcely differentiated into a sheath, sparsely woolly. 



1070 



