24() CLlv. ERiocAULE.E (brown). [Eriocaulon. 



rosulate, linear, obtuse and somewhat hardened at the apex, glabrous. 

 Peduncles varying from 1-10 to a plant, 3-18 in. long, J- J lin. thick, 

 t.rete, G-8-ribbed, their sheaths 1 J-2J in. long, bifid or much split at 

 the apex, striate, glabrous. Heads 8-4 J lin. in diam., depressed-globose, 

 milk-white, unisexual or moncecious, the smaller male, the larger with 

 numerous male flowers surrounding a few females, or the sexes inter- 

 mixed ? Involucral-bracts 1 J-l| Hn. long, §-| lin. broad, broadly 

 oblanceolate, obtusely pointed, glabrous, straw-coloured or ochreous, 

 often fuscous at the apex. Flowering-bracts 1-1 1 lin. long, J-f lin. 

 broad, spathulate- or cuneate-obovate, variably acute or acuminate, 

 incurved, straw-coloured below, blackish or fuscous on the apical part, 

 or sometimes entirely pale ochreous, pubescent with white hairs on the 

 back, below the apex. Receptacle piiose. Female flowers subsessile. 

 Sepals o, equal, |-1 lin. long, about ^ lin. broad, cuneate-oblong, obtuse, 

 two of them concave, slightly hooded at the apex, the third flattened, 

 whitish, slightly fuscous at the apex, bearded on the apical part with 

 short white hairs. Petals 3, unequal, arising slightly above the sepals, 

 the largest 1-1 J lin. long, ^ lin. broad, the others about f lin. long, 

 -J lin. broad, cuneate-oblanceolate, obtuse, white, with a black gland 

 below the apex, and bearded on the inner face with white hairs ; style 

 deeply trifid. Male flowers shortly pedicellate. Sepals 3, equal, free, 

 exactly as in the female flowers. Stipes between the sepals and petals 

 very variable, -J-| lin. long. Petals 3, very unequal ; the largest J-1 1 lin. 

 long, l-l lin. broad, cuneate-oblong, obtuse, the lateral J-| lin. long, 

 sometimes rudimentary, spathulate or narrowly linear, all white, densely 

 beaided with white hairs at the apex and on the apical part of the 

 inner face, with a black gland at the middle. Anthers black. 



IiO-vsrer Guinea. Angola : Huilla ; frequent in swiimpy meadows around 

 LopoUO; Welicitsch, 2452 ! in somewhat spoi gy meadows on the highest parts of 

 Morro ne Lopollo, Welwitsch, 2452b ! on the high spongy slopes of Serra de 

 Oiahoia, in tlie Humpata district, Welwitsch, 2453 ! near Cunene River, Johnston ! 



ZKEozamb. Sist. German East Africa : lower plateau, north of Lake Nyasa, 

 Thomson! Biitsh Central Africa : Mashonaland, Bryce ! 



E. lacteum may prove to he consiieclfic witii JE". Teusczii, Kugl. k Huhl., but 

 the description of the latter does not enable me to identify it. 



10. E. bongense, Enyl. d- RuJdand in Enyl. Jahrh. xxvii. 75. 

 Stemless. Leaves erect or ascending, l|-3 in. long, 1-2 lin. broad, 

 linear, somewhat abruptly acute or subobtuse, many-nerved, glabrous. 

 Peduncles 5-16 to a plant, 3-12 (usually more than 6) in. long, terete, 

 0-7-ribbed in the dried state, glabrous, their sheaths 1^-dh in. long, 

 acute, rather loose, glabrous. Heads 2^-4 lin. in diam., at first sub- 

 globose, becoming somewhat ovoid, mon(Bcious, with the sexes inter- 

 mixed, light straw-coloured, slightly shining. Involucral-bracts H-lf 

 lin. long, f-l^ lin. broad, obovate or obovate-oblong, obtuse, apiculate 

 or subacute, concave, somewhat membranous at the margins, light 

 straw-coloured, glabrous. Flowering bracts Ij-lf ^^^- ^o^gj J li°« 

 broad, cuneate-oblong or narrowly oblanceolate, acuminate or cuspidate- 

 acute, incurved, thin, scarious, very light straw-coloured, glabrous. 



