240 CLiv. ERiocAULE^ (brown). [Eriocaulon. 



ovate, acute. Stamens 6 ; anthers black. Capsule J lin. in diam., 

 trigonous. Seeds ellipsoid, obtuse at each end, light brown, nearly 

 smooth, but with an opaque surface. — Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. 

 Afr. V. 502 ; Euhland in Engl. Jahrb. xxvii. 75. E. limosum, Engl. & 

 Ruhland, and E. Schvmnfurthii^ Engl. & Ruhland in Engl. Jahrb. 

 xxvii. 74. 



upper Guinea. Niger Territory : Nupe ; nearly submerged in pools in 

 swamps at Jeba, Barter, 1021 ! 



M'ile &and. British East Africa : Dar Fertit ; in the Biri River, Schwein- 

 furth, ser. iii. 244 ! Jur; at Agada, near Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 2476 ! 



After repeated dissection I am quite unable to find any definite character whereby 

 to distinguish E. hifistulosum from E. Schweinfurthii ; the heads of the latter are 

 rather larger and darker than those of E. hifistulosum, and the peduncles appear to 

 bo stouter in the dried state, but thin transverse sections swollen out in water 

 exhibit no difference in character or size. Such difference as is observable between 

 them I believe to be due to vigour of growth and perhaps some difference in the food 

 supply. The flowering bracts appear to be sometimes entirely glabrous, although 

 usually those in the centre of the heads possess some hairs, which are easily over- 

 looked. The hairs may be very deciduous, or the variation in pubescence and in the 

 length of the peduncles may depend upon the depth of the water in which the plant 

 grows submerged. Schweinfurth's 2476 appears to have grown in shallow water, it 

 is less vigorous than tlie other specimens and tlie stem below the leaves is very short 

 or almost wanting in the examples seen, but I cannot find any real structm*al 

 difference. Sometimes the female floweis are all in the central part of the head and 

 the males outside, in other examples the female flowers are central and the males 

 outside. E. hifistulosum and E. limosum were both founded upon Barter's 1021. 



It is not improbable that E. hifistulosum, together with E.fluitans, Baker, from 

 Madagascar, should be united with the Brazilian E. melanocephalum, Kunth ; there 

 is, however, a slight difference in the structure of the peduncles and in the texture of 

 the bracts and sepals. But they require further investigation from a larger scries of 

 specimens than is at my command before a correct decision can be made. From the 

 Indian E. setaceum, Linn, (which it closely resembles in general appearance) the 

 glabrous petals of E. hifistulosum readily distinguish it. The Australian plant 

 named E. setaceum by Bentham is quite different in floral structure from all the 

 species above mentioned. 



7. E. sttbmersiim, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii. 100, 

 not of Tate. Plant submerged in water 2-3 ft. deep, flowering and 

 fruiting under water. Leaves very numerous, densely rosulate, 2-4 in. 

 long, not exceeding J lin. in greatest breadth, linear-filiform, vivid 

 green, soon becoming very flaccid when taken out of water. Peduncles 

 usually numerous in adult plants, 6-13 in. long, \ to rather more than 

 J lin. thick, terete, 5-7-ribbed, glabrous; their sheaths 1|-2J in. long, 

 oblique at the mouth, often bifid or trifid at the membranous apex, 

 glabrous. Heads 2J-3^ lin. in diam., depressed-globose, black, monoe- 

 cious, with the male and female flowers mixed. Involucral-bracts 

 |— IJ lin. long, J-§ lin. broad, oblong-obovate, obtuse, membranous^ 

 blackish, glabrous. Flowering-bracts 1-1 J lin. long, \ to nearly J lin. 

 broad, oblanceolate or spathulate-oblanceolate, acute, or the outer 

 obtuse, membranous," glabrous, blackish. Receptacle slightly hairy 

 (ex Rendle). Female flowers shortly pedicellate. Sepals 3, slightly 



