141. XYRIDACE^. 



FAM. 141. XYRIDACE^. 



Tufted herbs with radical linear or subulate leaves and axillary and 

 terminal simple naked scapes sheathed at the base, and with a terminal 

 2-sexual head or spike of small sessile flowers in the axils of rigid dark- 

 coloured imbricating bracts. Flowers heterochlamydeous. Calyx 

 bilateral, with an anterior dorsal larger caducous sepal embracing the 

 corolla and 2 lateral oblique smaller ones, scarious, persistent or 

 deciduous.* Petals 3, clawed, yellow, marcescent, claws connate 

 into a slender short or long tube below. Stamens 3 fertile, and 3 

 outer obsolete or converted into staminodes, anthers sagittate, fila- 

 ments adnate below to corolla tube. Staminodes usually of 2 long 

 hairy filaments. Ovary superior 1 -celled or incompletely 3-celled, 

 with 3 parietal or basal and confluent placentas, style 3-fid, stigmas 

 capitate or dilated. Ovules numerous anatropous. Fruit a loculi- 

 cidal 3-valved capsule or top circumsciss. Seeds many, linear or 

 ellipsoid, with floury albumen and minute embryo at the top of the 

 seed. 



1. XYRIS, L. 



The only Indian genus. 



Stout 1-2 ft. high. L. -12- -3" broad. Hds. mostly • 4- • 5" diam. 



ris. -5' diam. Throat of corolla not bearded . . . .1. indica. 



Slender 2 ft. high. L. -1" broad. Hds. mostly -25- -3" diam. 



Fls. •4--5" diam. Throat of corolla bearded . . . . 2. coronata. 



Slender 8-12" high. L. under -1" broad. Hds. •25--3"diam. 



Fls. about • 3" diam. Throat of corolla not bearded . . .3. pauciflora. 



1. X. indica, L. 



Very robust as compared with the two following species, 1-2 ft. high 

 with leaves '12- '3" broad and brown heads mostly • 3-- 6" diam. and 

 up to • 7" long, on prominently ribbed and grooved peduncles. Bracts 

 orbicular or cuneately obovate, • 25" broad, usually broader than long. 

 Flowers bright yellow, -5" diam. with orbicular erose petals. 



Dinajpiir and Maldah and probably, therefore, Purneah, Pari (Khiurda and 

 Mendasal), Lace ! Fl. Oct.-Nov. 



Leaves spongy, obtuse, sometimes as long as scape. Head ovoid or globose 

 with closely imbricate dark red-brown shining bracts with scarious margins. 

 Lateral sepals narrowly boat-shaped, Avith dorsal serrulate wing. Claw of petals 

 as long as sepals. Filaments short broad, staminodes shown by Clarke as slightly 

 laciniate scales but in a drawing in Herb. Rottl. as feathery hairy tufts. The 

 character of the staminodes requires further examination in fresh specimens, as 

 also in the following species. 



Said to be a cure for ringworm in Bengal (Watt), but it is not mentioned by 

 either Dutt or 2<adkarni. 



2. X. coronata, n. sp. ? (see remarks under X. pauciflora). ' 

 Slender 2-2-5 ft. high. Leaves or one sheathing the scape and 



much shorter than it, blade flat with acuminate tip, • I" broad at its 

 base. Scape obtusely angled and with a single ridge, very minutely 

 scaberulous. Spike subglobose, usually broader than long, •25-- 3" 

 diam. Outer bracts empty ovate, nerved, obtuse or subcuspidate, 

 uniform (not Avinged). Flowering • 25" long, broadly cymbiform, 

 keeled near the top and some cuspidate, 3 lateral nerves at some 



* Prain says all caducous, but they are persistent in all our species till the fruit 

 ripens. 



1072 



