Sriocaulon.'] CLXXI. ERIOCAULL^. (J. D, Hooker.) 573 



obtuse inner acute black shining, fern. fl. subsessile, sepals and petals 

 villously bearded. E. atratum, /3 major, Thw. Enum. 341. 



CEYLON; Wight ; G. Thomson-, central province, alt. 5-7000 ft., Thwaites 

 (No. 131). 



Stem simple, in young plants 3-4 in. long and as thick as the thumb, often 

 copiously branched in old ; branches 6-10 in. long, leafy throughout. Leaves 2-6 

 by i-i in., narrowed from the base to the obtuse tip, rigid, quite opaque ; nerves 

 very many, close, obscure. Scape stout or slender. Heads \-\ in. ; invol. bracts 

 sub 3-seriate, s-carious ; receptacle flat, villous ; fl. bracts oblanceolate, acute, dark, 

 shortly bearded ; 2 sepals of fern. fl. concave, the 3rd flat ; petals very unequal, 

 glands large ; ovary with petals stipitate, stipes villous. The only Indian much- 

 branched species. 



ff Heads \ in. diam. or less. 

 Receptacle villous. 



6. E. subcaulescens Hook. /. ; stem short stout densely leafy, 



leaves linear acute concave thick opaque, scapes 2-3, bracts all yellowish, 



involucral broadly obovate scarious, floral cuneately oblanceolate acute 



bearded, fern. fl. sessile, petals oblanceolate villous, ovary with petals sessile. 



CEYLON ; Newera Ellia, Gardner, Thwaites (C.P. 61 and 789 in Herl. Kew}. 



Stem 3-4 in., as thick as the little finger. Leaves very many, 2-3 by T y- in., 



erect, very many-nerved, quite smooth on both surfaces ; sheath slightly woolly at 



the base. Scape 12 in., slender. Head -5 |- in. diam., depressed spherical, pale ; 



male and fern, sepals 2 concave, Iflat, all bearded ; fern, petals oblanceolate villous; 



ovary villous at the base. Seed sub-globose, smooth. Closely resembles a Bornean 



species from Kina Balu, in which the male petals are shorter. 



7. E, longicuspis, Hoolc.f. ; stem short stout, leaves short linear- 

 subulate acuminate flat thick opaque, scapes tall very slender, invol. bracts 

 very small cuneately obovate scarious blackish, floral cuneate tip black 

 ronnded toothed and with a long black cusp, fern. fl. pedicelled, petals 

 oblanceolate ciliate with the ovary long-stipitate. E. cristatnm, var. 

 Thw. Enum. 341. 



CEYLON, Thwaites (C.P. 1002 in Herl. Kew ; 789 in Thw. Enum.). 



EootstocJc as thick as a swan's quill. Leaves 2-2% in., narrowed from the base 

 to the tip, many-nerved, obscurely striate ; sheaths obscurely woolly at the base. 

 Scapes 18-20 in., weak, flexuous. Heads % in. diam., the black cusps of the fl. 

 bracts contrasting with the white small petals; receptacle hemispheric; male fl. on 

 slender pedicels; sepals 3, free, tips bearded; stamens 6; fern, petals very unequal, 

 longer than the sepals, glands large. I have seen only one specimen of this well- 

 marked species. 



8. E, polycephalum, Hoolc.f. ; rootstock very stout, leaves elongate 

 narrowly sword-shaped acuminate flat thin, scapes very many tall slender, 

 invol. bracts very small cuneately obovate scarious blackish shining, 

 floral oblanceolate long-cuspidate black softly bearded, fern. fl. shortly 

 pedicelled, sepals and petals softly hairy, ovary subsessile. 



CENTEAL INDIA ; near Pachmarchi, Duthie. 



Rootstock as thick as the middle finger. Leaves many, 2-8 by i- in., lower 

 recurved, very many -nerved, narrowed to the acuminate tip, rather glossy. Scapes 

 30 or more, 8-20 in. Heads %-% in., globose, ash -colrd., hairs flexuous; receptacle 

 convex, shortly villous ; tips and cusps of bracts black ; male sepals 3, free ; stamens 

 6 ; fern . sepals long, narrow ; petals narrowly oblanceolate, ciliate with long soft 

 hairs. A very handsome species, closely allied to E. longicuspis, but very much 

 larger with many scapes. 



