24: cxLii. xyridetE (brown). [Xyris, 



oO. X. nitida, Xilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. F'urhandl. Stockh. 181>1, 

 15G. Tufted on a thick rootstock, emitting rather stout flattened 

 roots. Leaves D-U in. long, f-1 Hn. broad, linear, acute, twisted, 

 glabrous; sheaths Ij-^i in. long, becoming dark chestnut-brown and 

 shining. Peduncular-sheath 4-5 in. long, with a flat point 2-:i liu. 

 lont', glabrous, dark chestnut-brown in the lower part. Peduncle li-2 

 ft. fong, compressed, 2-edged, glabrous, tinely striate ; pith not hollow 

 at the centre. Spike 5-7 lin. long, ^-^h Hn. thick, ovoid or oblong- 

 ovoid, about 80- or more-flowered. Bracts 2i-;> lin long, U lin. broad, 

 elliptic-oblong, very obtuse, minutely ciliate at the apex, dark brown, 

 shining, with an obscure oblong dorsal area on some of them, obscurely 

 7-nerved, nerves scarcely reticulated. Lateral sepals 2^-2| lin. long, 

 I lin. broad, oblong-linear, slightly falcate, usually more or less hooded 

 and ciliate at the apex, keeled, yellowish-brown with a dark brown 

 keel ; keel ciliate or irregularly toothed and ciliate to the apex, which 

 is produced into a short subulate point. Corolla-tube 2 lin. long ; 

 lobes 2 lin. long, | lin. broad, oblong, obtuse. Arms of the staminodes 

 «hort, linear, terminating in a small dense tuft of long yellow hairs. 

 Anthers oblong. — Nilss. in Svensk. Yet. Akad. Handl, xxiv. no. 14, 80 ; 

 Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421, not of Willd. 



Xiower Guinea. Corisco Island : in meadow ground, Mann, 1858 ! 



As the flowers are in a bad state I am rather doubtful if the description of corolla- 

 lobes as given above is quite correct. In one head some of the bracts have a well- 

 marked ciliate keel down tlie back, the other bracts of the same head being without a 

 keel which latter seems to be the normal condition. This species may prove to be 

 the same as X. congensis, Biittner, but the leaves are not scabrous as described for 

 that species ; if they should be found to be identical, the name X. congensis must 

 take precedence, as th-.it species was published in September 1889 (not 1890 as stated 

 by Nilsson), nearly two years earlier than X. nitida. 



81. X. Hildebrandtii, Xilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. 

 Stockh. 1891, 155. Tufted. Leaves 4-12 in. long, |-1J lin. broad, linear, 

 very acute, striate, often twisted, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 2J-4J 

 lin. long, with a rigid acute point 2 J-8 lin. long. Peduncle 1 1-2 tt. 

 long, 1 lin. thick, compressed, slightly striate. Spike 3^-7 lin. long, 

 about 3 lin. thick, ovoid or cylindric-oblong, 10-30- or more-flowered. 

 Bracts 2J-2J lin. long, IJ lin. broad, spirally imbricating one above 

 another, elliptic-oblong or suborbicular, very obtuse, sometimes minutely 

 apiculate, not keeled, glabrous, opaque blackish-brown, indistinctly 5-9- 

 nerved ; nerves reticulate at their apex. Lateral sepals 2 lin. loi>g, 

 4-| lin. broad, falcate-oblong, or the margins nearly straight and the 

 keel much curved, brown with paler margins ; keel winged, obtuse or 

 slightly produced at the apex, very distinctly ciHate from the base to 

 the apex, the cilia usually being grouped in small dense tufts. Corolla- 

 lobes 2 lin. long. If lin. broad, cuneate-orbicular, toothed. Arms of 

 the staminodes linear, with dense brush-like tufts of yellow hairs. — 

 Kngl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 133. X. Umbilonis, Kendle in Cat. Afr. PI. 

 Welw. ii. 67, hardly of Nilss. 



Iiower Guinea. Angola : Pungo Andongo ; in damp meadows by the banks 



