260 CLiv. ERiocAULE^ (brown). [Mesanthemuni . 



2. MESANTHEMUM, Koernicke ; Benth. et Hook, f . Gen. 

 PI. iii. 1021. 



Sepals 3, free, or shortly connate at the base in the male flowers, 

 hyaline. Petals united into a tube, entire and funnel-shaped in the 

 male flowers, cylindric and divided at the base into 3 claws in the female 

 flowers, subtruncate or shortly 3-lobed at the apex, with 3 glands on 

 the inside near the top of the tube. Stamens 6, in two alternating 

 series, included within the tube. Ovary 3-celled ; style 3-branched ; 

 branches simple and filiform, without alternating appendages. — Marsh 

 herbs, stemless or with a more or less elongating and rooting stem* or 

 rhizome. Leaves broadly linear, in a dense tuft. Peduncles 1-headed, 

 longer than the leaves. Heads moncecious, with a campanulate invo- 

 lucre, flat-topped or perhaps at length convex. Flowering-bracts with 

 a capillary stalk and a ciavate head. Other characters as for the 

 Order. 



Species 4, the following, and 2 others that are natives of Madagascar. 

 Inner involucral-scales 1-li lin. longer than the outer ; 



heads of the flowering-bracts obtuse, pubescent . \. M. radicans. 

 Inner involucral-scales 2—3 lin. longer than the 

 outer ; heads of the flowering-bracts acute, 

 glabrous . . . . . . . . 2. M. prescottianum. 



1 . "Ni, radicaas, Koernicke in Linncea, xxvii. 573. Rootstock stout. 

 Leaves 3-1 G in. loug, 2-G lin. broad, linear, tapering to an obtuse or 

 acute point, softly pubescent or glabrous on both sides. Peduncles 

 1-2 J^ ft. long, nearly 1 lin. thick, terete, striate, more or less pubescent ; 

 their basal sheaths 8—9 in. long, acute, with a very oblique mouth 1^ in. 

 long, softly pubescent. Heads 5-7 lin. in diam., flat-topped, moncecious, 

 the outer flowers female, the inner male. Involucre campanulate, its 

 outer scales about 2 lin. long and 2 lin. broad, broadly ovate, obtuse, 

 the inner about 3 lin. long and Ij lin. broad, oblong, obtuse, slightly 

 radiating, ail rigid, whitish-brown or light ochraceous, more or less 

 pubescent. Receptacle flat, covered with long soft dark grey hairs. 

 Flowering-bracts 2 lin. long, with a very fine capillary stalk and a 

 ciavate obtuse head, covered with short hairs, white. Female flowers 

 usually pedicellate. Sepals f~l lin. long, scarcely J lin. broad, oblong, 

 truncate, denticulate and sometimes ciliate at the apex, very concave, 

 hyaline, white. No stipes between the sepals and petals. Petals 

 IJ-lJ lin. long, connate above into a cylindric tube, free below, hairy 

 on the outside and within above the base, ciliate at the slightly trifid 

 apex, whitish, with 3 linear brownish glands near the top of the tube 

 within. Ovary acutely triquetrous, glabrous ; style long, with 3 filiform 

 branches. Male flowers pedicellate. Sepals 3, free, IJ-lJ lin. long, 

 ^ lin. broad, as long as or longer than the corolla, oblong, obtuse or 

 subtruncate, shortly ciliate at the apex, hyaline, whitish. Stipes 

 between the calyx and corolla about 4 lin. long. Corolla | lin. long, 

 tubular, subtruncate or obscurely trifid, ciliate at the apex, glabrous on 

 the outside, white, with 3 minute linear glands on the middle of the 



