Victorian Plants. 95 



465. Flowers extremely numerous, sessile, crowded into a 



dense cylindrical spike. 



Erect usually robust plants ; leaves narrow, very long and 

 rigid, comparatively thick ; stamens and pistils in the 

 same flowers; sepals glume-like, rigid; petals membranous ; 

 filaments smooth and capillary ; fruit very rigid, dry, 

 dehiscent, few-seeded. " Grasstrees." 



Xanthorrhoea. 1843 



Flowers provided with stalklets or when sessile dis- 

 persed or clustered ... ... ... ... ... 466 



466. Tall climbers or twiners 467 



Erect or rarely spreading plants or very seldom small 

 twiners ... ... ... ... ... ... 468 



467. Petals fringed. 



Leaves broad or narrow, densely streaked from longitudinal 

 venules ; flowers mostly in fascicles ; sepals distinct ; 

 filaments capillary; anthers straight; fruit succulent, 

 tardily dehiscent. Eustrephus. 1844 



Petals fringeless. 



Leaves broad or narrow, densely streaked from longitudinal 

 venules; flowers mostly in cymes ; sepals distinct; petals 

 similar ; filaments capillary ; anthers straight ; fruit suc- 

 culent, tardily dehiscent. Geitonoplesium. 1845 



468. Filaments tumid or bearded 469 



Filaments capillary and smooth ... ... ... 473 



469. Filaments tumid. 



Rigid plants, rather tall ; root somewhat creeping ; leaves 

 long, generally basal, often rather narrow ; flowers pani- 

 culated ; sepals distinct, petaloid ; petals similar to the 

 sepals, with them generally blue ; anthers straight, 

 opening by pores ; fruit succulent, indehiscent, often blue 

 outside. Dianella. 1846 



Filaments bearded ... ... ... ... ... 470 



