Xyris.] cxLii. XYRiDEiE (brown). 21 



I have not seen this species; it appears to be allied to X. multicaulis, N. E. lir., 

 or X. jiliformis. Lam. 



23. X. erubeacens, Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 78. Plant 

 about 8 in. high, *' scarcely caespitose " ( Welwitsch). Leaf-sheaths form- 

 ing a bulbous base, leafless in the specimens seen, the outer coriaceous 

 or scarious, tapering from a broad base, smoky-brown, shining. Peduncles 

 arising from the midst of the persistent bases of the leaves, 5^-8 in. long, 

 flexuose, subquadrangular, glabrous, green. Peduncular-sheath about 

 2 in. long, rather loose above and passing into a weak acuminate point. 

 Spike J in. thick, ellipsoid or subglobose. Bracts 2-2| lin. long, 

 1|-2J Tin. broad, coriaceous, lowermost oblong, the others orbicular, 

 very concave, obtuse or slightly apiculate, entire, but often broken and 

 retuse at the apex, 7-y-nerved, olive-brown,- paler at the margin. 

 Lateral sepals 2J-2J lin. long, scarcely ^ lin. broad, falcate, with very 

 unequal sides ; keel broad, minutely denticulate-scabrid (scarcely cilio- 

 late) from about the middle to the apex, greenish- brown below, becoming 

 crimson above. Arms of the staminodes with narrow brush-like tufts 

 of hairs, exceeding the oblong orange-coloured anthers. — Rendle in 

 Journ. Bot 1899, 508. 



Xto-wer Guinea* Angola : Huilla; here and there in marshy pastures near 

 Nene, by the road towards Lopollo, Welwitsch, 2466 ! 



A very distinct species, well marked by the bulbous bas-e formed by the leaf- 

 sheaths. A specimen collected by Rand in Rhodesia has been referred (Journ. 

 Bot., 1899, 508) by Dr. Rendle to this species, but as the leaves of WeUvitsch's 

 plant are unknown, and Rand's specimen only consists of separate peduncles and 

 leaves, the base of the plant not being represented, it is uncertain if the Riiodesian 

 plant, which has terete-flliform leaves, really belongs to this species, although the 

 spikes are similar. 



24. X. filiformis, Lam. Encycl. i. 1B2. Leaves |-2j in. long, 

 \-\ lin. broad, linear, subacute, glabrous. Peduncle 4J-10 in. long, 

 \-\ lin. thick, terete, striate. Spike 2J-3 lin. long, 1-21 Hn. thick, 

 ovoid or ellipsoid, few-flowered. Bracts lJ-2 lin. long, 1-1 J lin. broad, 

 elliptic or suborbicular, obtuse, very concave, chestnut-brown, the outer 

 with a linear greyish dorsal area near the apex, glabrous, entire, 

 coriaceous, becoming somewhat scarious at the margin, 3-5 -nerved. 

 Lateral sepals lJ-2 lin. long, narrowly spathulate-lanceolate, subobtuse, 

 keeled, light brown along the keel, paler on the membranous sides; keel 

 very minutely scabrid on the apical part only. — Poir. Encycl. viii. 821 ; 

 Yahl, Enum. ii. 207 ; Kunth, Enum. iv. 24 ; Nilss. in Ofvers. Yet. 

 Akad. Forhandl. Stockh, 1891, 151 ; and in Svensk. Yet. Akad. Handl. 

 xxiv. no. 14, 40 ; Durand k Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 420. 



Upper Guinea. Senegal, in Upsala Herb. Sierra Leone, Smeathman ! 

 Afzelius, in Stockholm and Berlin Herb. 



Lamarck described this species from a specimen collected by Smeathnmn, of which 

 I have seen a tracing, and also specimens of the same gathering in the British 

 Museum. 



VOL. VIII. B 



