572 CLXXI. ERiocAULLjE. (J. D. Hooker.) [Eriocaulon. : _ 



1. E. setaceum, Linn. Sp. PI. 87; receptacle conical villous, fl. ^ 

 bracts cymbiform acute coriaceous glabrous black, seeds dark brown. 

 Kunth Enum. iii. 550. Steud. Syn. PL Gyp. ii. 270; Thw. Enum. 341. 

 E. intermedium, Koern. in Linnsea, xxvii. 601. Rheede Hort. Mai. xii. t. 

 63. 



MALABAR ; at Quilon, Wight. CEYLON ; Walker, &c. 



Stem 2-3 ft., stout or slender, flexuous. Leaves 1^-2 in., flexuous, 1-nerved. 

 Peduncles very many, slender, 1^-3 in. ; sheath f-1 in., tip membranous. Heads 

 ^ in. diam. Male petals obscure ; stamens 6; fern, sepals cymbiform, glabrous or 

 nearly so; petals narrow, ciliate, with or without a gland. Seeds oblong, quite 

 smooth. 



2. ZS. capillus-naiadlSj Hook. f. ; receptacle conical or convex 

 villous, fl. bracts whitish membranous outer glabrous inner with long 

 white dorsal hairs, seeds dark olive-green or black E. setaceum, Wall. 

 Cat. n. 6077; Mart, in Wall. PI. As.Rar. iii. 29 ; Koern. in Linnsea, xxvii. 

 (excl. syn. Linn.). 



BENGAL ; Serampore, Griffith, Vicrampore, Clarke. KHASIA HILLS ; at Nonk- 

 reem, J. D. H. fy T. T. BTJEMA; Tavoy and Pegu, Wallich, Ac. The CONCAN, 

 Stocks. DISTEIB. Cochin China. 



Closely resembles E. setaceum in habit, foliage, &c. In the Burmese and Khasian 

 specimens the fern, petals are ciliate with long hairs, in the Concan and Cochin- 

 Chinese they are nearly glabrous. 



3. E. bifistulosum, Van HeurcJc. Ols. Sot. 105; receptacle conical 

 glabrous, fl. bracts dark all with short dorsal bristles, seeds chesnut 

 brown. E. setaceum, Senth. Fl. Austral, vii. 191. 



KHASIA HILLS, at Myrung, alt. 5000 ft. Griffith. DISTEIB. W. Africa, 

 Australia. 



This is closely allied to E. capillus-naiadis and setaceum, differing from both in 

 the glabrous receptacle, and from the former in the very short hairs of the fl. 

 bracts which are more mucronate and less membranous ; the seeds too are much 

 smaller. The fern, petals are narrow, glabrous, with minute apical glands, as in the 

 Concan specimens of E. capillus-naiadis. 



B. Terrestrial or marsh plants ; stem rarely elongate. 



* Petals of male fl. 3, one much the largest and protruded beyond the 

 floral bracts, rarely subequal and all protruded. Invol. bracts globose in 

 all ; floral bearded. 



t Heads more than f in. diam. Receptacle villous. 



4. ZS. rpbustum, Steud. Syn. PL Gyp. 271 ; subcaulescent, scape 

 subsolitary very stout, invol. bracts ovate-oblong or lanceolate acuminate 

 pale shining, sepals and petals villously bearded, fern. fl. subsessile. Koern. 

 in Linnsea, xxvii. 674. S. bracteosum, Steud. I. c. 272. 



NILGHIRI HILLS ; alt. 6000 ft., Wight, &c. 4 



Rootstock often as thick as the thumb. Leaves 1-9 by -f in., narrowed to the 

 obtuse or rounded tip, soft, thin, opaque, very many-nerved, striate, often shining. 

 Scape 8 in .-3 ft., as thick as a crow-quill or less. Heads -| in. diam. ; invol. 

 bracts many-seriate, scarious ; receptacle convex, villous ; fl. bracts narrowly lanceo- 

 late, acuminate. Flowers 3-merous ; sepals of both sexes 3, concave villous ; stamens 

 6 ; fern. fl. with the ovary and petals stipitate above the sepals, stipes villous. 

 Much the stoutest Indian species. 



5. E. caulescens, Hook. f. & Thorns. Herb. Ind. Or.-, caulescent, 

 scape subsolitary from the stem or its branches, invol. bracts oblong outer 



